


The Tension & The Spark

by DodgerBear



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Kevin and Mickey friendship, M/M, Slow Burn, call center worker Ian, single dad mickey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:54:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 49,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26342203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DodgerBear/pseuds/DodgerBear
Summary: Mickey is left alone with baby Yev. His electricity supply is cut off. Life isn’t going well for him.Enter Ian: perfect stranger, call center worker and the guardian angel Mickey needs.
Relationships: Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich
Comments: 749
Kudos: 643





	1. The Cut Off

_“Good afternoon, you’re through to Orion Utilities. My name is Ian. Can I take your customer reference number please?”_

_“Uh. My what?”_

_“Your reference number, sir. It will be printed on the top of your latest bill.”_

_“I don’t have a bill.”_

_“Okay, no problem. Are you an existing Orion customer?”_

_“Uh. I think so. Yeah. Well...kinda.”_

_“Can I take your name first of all?”_

_“Milkovich. Mikhailo Milkovich.”_

_“Are we spelling that M-I-L-K-O-V-I-C-H?”_

_“Yeah. Good guess.”_

_“Hmm. I can’t seem to find you on our system. Let’s try your address instead.”_

_“It’s 1955...”_

_YOUR CALL HAS BEEN DISCONNECTED_

_**********_

“Fuck!” Mickey shouted in frustration and tossed his cell phone across the room. It was a piece of shit burner phone he found in a box under his bed so it was a miracle it had enough credit left on it to even connect his call in the first place. The clattering of the handset hitting the floor woke the sleeping baby in the travel crib by the window. His crying wail filled the air and Mickey groaned quietly. 

“Hey. Come on, little guy. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare ya.” He soothed, picking up the sobbing child. 

He moved slowly around the cluttered room and rubbed the baby’s back until his crying subsided and he was left sniffling into Mickey’s neck. 

“There we go, sunshine. That’s it. Dada is sorry he woke you up.”

It was hours later when Mickey was in bed and trying his hardest to sleep when it happened. He started to cry. Soft, almost silent tears of frustration and worry about his current situation. Even though he was alone - perpetually, these days - he was still embarrassed by his tears and buried his face in his pillow. The last thing he needed was to wake the baby up again. So he swallowed back his emotion and pulled himself together. 

“Try again tomorrow.” He murmured to himself and closed his eyes, allowing sleep to claim him. 

After ransacking the house for almost an hour Mickey finally found some paperwork that related to the gas and electric supply to his shit hole house. It was Orion Utilities, only the account wasn’t held under his name. He sighed with relief and checked the baby was still kicking back in his bouncy chair with his teething ring before he found another burner phone in Iggy’s old room. 

**********

“ _Good morning, you’re through to Ian at Orion Utilities. Can I take your customer reference number please?”_

_“Um, yeah. It’s 91947833-41.”_

_“Thank you, sir. Can you confirm you are the account holder?”_

_“No. I’m not. I mean, it’s my house but I ain’t the name on the account. It’s my wife.”_

_“Okay. That’s fine. Would I be able to speak to her? Just to confirm I’m okay to discuss the account with you.”_

_“Look, dude. I’ve been tryna speak to her for months. Good luck tracking her down. But I got no heating and no hot water so I need to sort this out right fucking now.”_

_“Alright. So there’s a marital separation?”_

_“My wife has fucked off and left me with an eleven month old baby. Yes. That’s correct.”_

_“I’m sorry to hear that, sir. Just to confirm, there’s a child living in the property?”_

_“Yeah. I just fuckin said that!”_

_“I know. I just have to check. Puts you to the top of the priority list, you see. Okay, sir. Can you confirm the name on the account please?”_

_“Svetlana Yevgenivna. Y-E-V-G-E-N-I-V-N-A.”_

_“And the address?”_

_“1955 South Trumbull.”_

_“And can I take your name?”_

_“Jesus Christ. You want my dick size too? I just need it put in my name and the electricity back on so I can warm up my kid’s milk!”_

_“I appreciate that, sir. But if I’m gonna put it in your name then I need to know some details. Like...your name.”_

_“Fuck. Yeah. It’s Milkovich. Mikhailo Milkovich.”_

_“Oh! Mr Milkovich! We spoke the other day and got cut off. I tried to call you back but the number was no longer in use...”_

_“Uh. Thanks. Burner phones, man. No idea how long I got left.”_

_“Would you like me to call you back right now? Save your credit?”_

_“You can do that?”_

_“Sure. Pisses my boss off but I live for that shit. Two minutes and I’ll be back with you.”_

**********

Mickey smiled at the phone while he waited for it to ring. The guy seemed like an alright dude. Call center staff weren’t known for their people skills so to get through to a real human had him thinking his luck was changing. He checked on the baby again and found him asleep with his mouth open in his chair. Mickey smiled and took the teething ring out of his hand before he dropped it on the dirty floor. Getting this place cleaned up was next on his list of adulting tasks now that he was a single fucking father and man of the fucking house. 

**********

“ _Mr Milkovich? It’s Ian.”_

_“Yeah. Hi.”_

_“Alright! Let’s get this figured out. We’ll start by taking some details. Can I get a spelling for your first name?”_

_“M-I-K-H-A-I-L-O.”_

_“Cool name! Do you mind if I call you by your first name today?”_

_“Yes I do fuckin mind. Don’t call me that. Call me Mickey.”_

_“Mickey. Alright. It’s nice to speak to you, Mickey. What’s your date of birth?”_

_“August 10th 94.”_

_“Great...”_

**********

Just as Mickey was finally getting somewhere, the baby took the opportunity to wake up and lose his shit because Mickey was out of his sight. Svetlana fucked off three months ago and left him alone with a baby he never fucking asked for and now the baby relied on him for everything. He was clingy sometimes and Mickey couldn’t blame him. He cradled the phone to his ear with his shoulder so he could pick up the baby. 

“Not a good time for this, sunshine. I’m tryna do grown up shit.”

He heard a chuckle down the line and sighed while the baby continued to wail. 

“He’s teething. This is my life now. Crying babies, shitty diapers and no electricity.” 

“Do you need me to give you a minute to get him settled?”

Mickey’s stomach twisted and his eyes filled up. Acts of kindness from strangers made him feel uncomfortable and his recent walk on the emotional wild side had him on the verge of tears when he saw so much as a limping dog. 

“I just need a second. He’ll be fine when I get him something to eat.”

“Take your time.”

“What did you say your name was?”

“Ian.”

“Thanks, Ian.”

“It’s no problem, Mickey.”

And that soft, gentle voice saying his name was making his stomach twist in other ways. 

“Okay, sunshine. I just need a few more minutes then we can go to the park.”

Mickey smiled at his son as he tried to shove the carrot stick in his mouth sideways. He’d prepared them earlier so they were soft and were mushing in the youngster’s hand, which made him grin gleefully. 

“Maybe a bath first. Don’t want the snooty bitches in the park thinking I can’t take care of you.”

With the baby settled and happy, Mickey got back to the phone call. 

“Sorry about that.”

“Don’t apologize. That’s the cutest damn thing I ever heard.”

Mickey laughed softly. “I talk to him like he understands what I’m saying.”

“That’s really sweet.”

“Yeah well. He’s the only human I speak to some days.”

The line went silent and Mickey cursed internally for saying too much. The guy answering calls at the fucking utility supplier didn’t give a shit about his problems. 

“He’s a lucky kid to have someone like you taking care of him.” Ian finally spoke, his words a whisper of comfort. 

Mickey took a breath. “Okay. How do I get my heat back? The kid is sleeping with two blankets.”

“Well...not great news. The reason it was cut off was due to the outstanding debt on the account. Your wife owes $898 in unpaid bills and late payment charges.”

Mickey’s heart fell out of his asshole. “Holy fuck.”

“Don’t worry about...”

“Don’t worry about it? Is that what you were about to say to me? Don’t fucking _worry_ about it? How the fuck could she do this to us? To her _son_! I gave her money every damn month to pay the bills!” Mickey started to hyperventilate. 

“Mickey. Please listen to me.”

“I can’t...I don’t...how am I gonna...”

“MICKEY!” Ian’s no-nonsense tone was a slap in the face and it halted Mickey’s rambles at once. “I need you to listen to me. It’s okay. We can work something out. The priority today is getting heat back before the winter kicks our asses. Alright?”

“Alright.” Mickey found himself agreeing even though he’d never felt so dejected in all his twenty one years. 

“So first things first, we need to close this account down and open the new one in your name.”

“Okay.”

“Then we’ll sort out what we need to about the outstanding debt.”

“Okay.”

Mickey heard Ian clicking away on a keyboard and found his knee bouncing in time with the noise. Ian hummed a couple of times and then sighed, and Mickey was sure he heard him mutter something under his breath. Finally, the tension was too much. 

“What? What’s going on?”

“I was hoping that your wife’s debt would be hers alone and we could pursue her for it. But apparently the law, or at least the law here at Orion, is that we won’t reconnect supply if a spouse is still living at the property. Not until the debt is being covered.”

“That’s bullshit! I paid her. Every month.”

“We haven’t received payment since January.”

“Fucking bitch!” Mickey spat angrily. “I can’t believe she’d do this to him. Who does that to their kid? He’s a fucking baby!”

Ian sighed heavily again. “Well, if my experiences with my own mother are anything to go by...it’s not true what they say about every woman having a maternal instinct.”

Mickey snorted a chuckle. “Too fuckin right.”

“I’m sorry, Mickey. But I do have an idea...”

Mickey leaned back in the chair and gazed at the yellow, blistered ceiling. “I’m open to all suggestions. As long as they don’t include pulling nearly a grand outta my ass.”

Ian laughed cheerfully. “They don’t.”

It struck Mickey how much Ian’s voice had settled him in his moment of sheer torment. 

“So, we’re gonna set up your new tariff. Then I’m gonna freeze the debt outstanding for three months. When that three months is up we’re gonna increase your bill by $30 a month to start reducing it down monthly. We won’t add interest.”

“Okay.” Mickey exhaled shakily. “So how much is my bill gonna be a month?”

“$75 for the first three months, $105 after that.”

Mickey’s stomach swooped again. His brain was calculating how much more weed he had to sell to bring in the extra. He was already sweating bullets about any dealing drugs at all - what would happen to the kid if he got picked up with a minimum 5 years in lock up on his person? It didn’t bear thinking about. Mandy was long gone, and good for her because there was fuck all left for her around here. Iggy was gone too. Terry was two months into a six year stretch for armed robbery and wouldn’t see daylight for at least four more years. His other family were littered around the state but had no interest in being back in their old home with their brother and nephew. Mickey and the boy were on their own. 

“Mickey?”

“Hmm?”

“Is that okay?”

Mickey sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know. Guess I’m gonna have to make it work.”

More clicking came down the line. Ian hummed another tune and it filled the silence. It was a happy sound and soothed the seasick feeling in his stomach. 

“We’re all set up. You’ll have power back within 24 hours. Your first bill will be posted out to you on November 4th and you’ll have 30 days to pay it.”

“Thank you.” Mickey’s voice trembled. “Ian.”

Ian’s breathing faltered slightly when Mickey tacked on his name almost as an afterthought. “It’s my pleasure, Mickey.”

They fell silent. Mickey knew it was weird. It felt weird. But he really, really didn’t want to hang up. Ian, a random guy in a random call center, was the first adult human interaction he’d had in weeks and it was turning him soft. 

“Is there anything else you need today?”

Mickey bit back a snort, because how could he say he needed company and someone to talk to and not sound like a fucking nut job? “I think you’ve done enough for me.”

“That’s what I’m here for. And if you need anything else, just call us back and ask for me. Ian Gallagher. Happy to help anytime.”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

“Have a great day, Mickey. Bye.”

Heavy silence consumed them. 

“Bye Ian.”

Two days later and the house was the warmest it had been since the summer. Mickey had started on his mission to clear up the house and baby-proof it, and it was already looking miles better. It made him feel different. Settled. Less angry at the world. A world filled with homophobic, psychotic fathers and selfish, absent mothers. Some days he looked at the baby with his ice blue eyes that were exact replicas of Svetlana’s and wanted to scream at the top of his lungs. He wanted to run away some days too. Like his family had already done. Run away from his problems and live some semblance of a life on his own somewhere. But he loved the kid. Deep down. Beyond the frustration of his situation. It stopped him in his tracks when he was ready to bolt. The little guy needed him so he would stick it out. 

“Come on, sunshine. Gotta get some fresh air.”

He wrangled the stroller out of the house and onto the stoop while balancing the kid on his hip. 

“Da!”

“What’s up, buddy?”

“Da!”

Mickey turned and saw a box on the porch. 

“What’s this? We gonna look in the box?”

He lifted the flaps of the lid and frowned at the contents. A handful of small children’s toys and a huge bag of bite size Snickers bars. He plucked the note out and read the scrawled handwriting. 

“ _Please don’t think of this as charity. Also, please don’t report me. Using your address for personal reasons is gross misconduct and I’ll be out on my ass. My little brother has outgrown these toys and they need a new home. Somewhere they will be useful. The candy is for you. Didn’t want you to feel left out. Take care, Ian._ ”

A tear slid down Mickey’s face and he swiped away. He couldn’t fucking cry in the street. 

“Da?”

Mickey sucked in a breath. “I know, sunshine. There’s some nice guys in the world huh? Yeah.”

He stashed the box in the house and headed out for his walk, a sense of calm washing over him. 


	2. The Connection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey makes some changes in his life.

It wasn’t until later, the house was quiet and he was in his thoughts, that it occurred to Mickey that Ian had been to his house. A silent, anonymous visit but a visit all the same. Ian had been within a few feet of him. With his soft, warm voice and his caring heart. 

“He’s been here.” Mickey murmured to himself. 

It didn’t creep him out like it probably should’ve done. Ian obviously wasn’t a threat. He didn’t try to speak to Mickey. He didn’t leave a number for him to contact. He didn’t seem to want anything from Mickey. But it was still weird that he came to the house. It swam around in Mickey’s head for a while and to his absolute horror, he popped a boner. 

“Oh fuck off.” He snarled at his crotch. 

He hadn’t had sex - any kind of sex - since the night his son was conceived. Almost two years. He barely even jerked off. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to have sex. He just couldn’t have the right kind of sex. So he didn’t bother. Now that it was just him and the kid he didn’t have the opportunity. It wasn’t a great loss. Hooking up with guys in the park didn’t begin to scratch his itch. And it was dangerous as fuck. It would be a coin toss to decide if getting arrested or getting a sexual transmitted disease would be the worst outcome. He wasn’t going to pine for it. Still, his erection raged on and he found himself grasping the bulge in his sweat pants for relief. It was like putting a house fire out with a water pistol. Nowhere near enough. His eye caught on the coffee table. Ian’s note. It sat there taunting him. _Look at me. I’m a nice guy. An unobtainable, nice guy. You like my voice. You like me. You can’t have me_. Mickey stuck his hand down his pants and found his cock, momentarily surprise by how slick it was. He’d already produced so much precome that his hand moved up and down freely. 

“Fuck.” He grunted harshly. 

His other hand reached out and grabbed the note. He couldn’t picture what Ian looked like. There’s been no hints of anything to go on during their conversations. Maybe he sounded young. Around Mickey’s age. It was all guesswork. He couldn’t imagine him up so instead he heard his voice. He read over the note at least ten times while he pumped his cock in his hand. When he felt the tingles of impending orgasm his eyes squinted and homed in on the last word. Ian. 

Ian. Ian. Ian. 

“Ian. Oh God. _Ian_.”

He came with the name on his lips, slumping back on the sofa. All at once he was overcome with shame, his face warm with humiliation. That’s when he broke down for real. The other tears had been a warning. A precursor. This was the moment it had been building up to and Mickey was powerless to stop the wracking sobs as they consumed him. He wept until he had a headache and his face stung. How the fuck had his life come to this? How the fuck do people live like this? How do people survive this... _loneliness_?

The cold snap hit within days of the heat issue being resolved. Mickey needed to sort out some income. Dealing weed was a risky career choice at the best of times but when you’re the sole carer for a baby it was borderline insanity. But Mickey had little other option. A high school drop out with a criminal record more colorful than an episode of Sesame Street, he was not going to find any meaningful employment anytime soon. He worked a few jobs up until Svetlana took off. Bar work. Managing the now-disbanded rub n tug. Dealing drugs. Selling stolen goods. Running scams with his brothers. It brought the money in and paid the bills. Or at least he thought it did. In reality he was paying for Svetlana’s great escape. And as much as he hated her, and he _really_ fucking hated her, part of him couldn’t disagree with her choices. Maybe he’s most pissed off because she got to run away first. None of that changed the fact that he now had to find a real job, paying real money in order to pay real bills. And who the fuck was hiring convicted criminals with a baby constantly attached to the fucking hip? The first electricity bill would be landing in two days and he had a whole $27 stashed away for it. All his money had gone on diapers and food for the kid. He himself had managed to eat ramen noodles for the last five nights and not throw up, so that was something. But now the kid’s 6-9 months clothes were officially too small and he needed to kit him out in stuff that actually fit. It was draining the soul out of him to constantly juggle his finances. He needed childcare and he needed a job. Fast. 

The bar was a complete fucking dive. Two guys propped it up every afternoon while this one other guy came and went with little idea of what day of the week it was at the time. Mickey served warm beer to cold hearts and kept himself to himself. 

“Yo Mickey.” His boss’s deep, booming voice carried across the bar. “This ain’t working, man.”

His heart sank. “Uh...what?”

“The baby. I mean, he’s cute and all but if we get inspected I’m gonna lose my licence.”

Kevin wasn’t a bad guy. He was a big, dumb idiot actually and Mickey kinda liked him. In the week he’d been at the bar the baby had been with him for every shift. Kevin would fuss over him and tell Mickey stories about his own kids. 

“Alright.” Mickey sighed and tossed the towel he had over his shoulder onto the bar and picked the curious youngster out of his travel cot/play pen set up in the back. “Thanks for giving it a go.”

Kevin sighed loudly. “I don’t wanna lose you, Mick. But this isn’t right.”

“Yeah I got it.” Mickey snapped. “Don’t got a lotta options.”

The baby started to whimper and Mickey struggled to keep his cool. His first legit job in forever and he lasted a week. 

“Shush, come on sunshine. Don’t get upset. Not today. Please.” Mickey whispered. 

Kevin crowded the end of the bar and stopped Mickey walking out. “Look. Lemme figure something out. Take the day and come back tomorrow.”

“I can’t. I got nobody to watch him.”

“Bring him along. I said I’ll figure something out.”

Mickey felt his lip tremble and he was mortified. He bit down on it and nodded once. “Okay.”

The electricity bill was on his doormat when he got home. Mickey ignored it for a solid two hours while he gave the baby his dinner and then took a bath with him. He’d learned early on that being in the tub at the same time was a lot easier than leaning over the side. They played with a little plastic pirate ship that was in the box Ian delivered. The kid loved it. Mickey even put on a pirate voice, something he would never do if other people were still in the house. It never failed to make the baby squeal with laughter. And that sound never failed to make Mickey smile. 

“Da. Shwoooooo!”

“Oh yeah. I see. You’re a great captain, sunshine.”

“Da!”

Mickey caught his boy as he launched himself across the tub and into his arms, lifting him at the last second to save his unmentionables from a flailing kick. The baby pressed his face into Mickey’s neck and giggled happily. Tears rolled down Mickey’s face. Good tears, he mused to himself. This kid had turned him into a bigger pussy than being gay ever did. _How do you like them apples, Terry?_

“We’re gonna be okay.” He kissed the damp curls of his son’s hair. “We’re gonna be okay.”

Mickey began to question firstly his memory and secondly his ability to count when he finally opened the letter from Orion. Ian had definitely said it would be $75. But this definitely said $56 and change. What the fuck? 

**********

“ _Good evening, you’re through to Orion Utilities. My name is Cassie. Can I take your customer reference number please?_

_“I need to speak to Ian.”_

_“Ian?”_

_“Gallagher. Ian Gallagher. I need to speak to him.”_

_“I’m sorry, Ian was on the early shift today. Can I help with anything at all?”_

_“I wanna check how much I owe.”_

_“Sure! Let me take your customer number...”_

“ _91922218-55.”_

_“And your name?”_

_“Mikhailo Milkovich. 1955 South Trumball. August 10th ‘94. Six and a half inches with the right guy.”_

_“I’m sorry, sir?”_

_“Forget it. Can you tell me what I owe?”_

_“Alright. Let me see...your outstanding charges are $56.25 and due by December 4th.”_

_“What happened to $75? I’m already up to my eyes in debt, I don’t need any more charges adding up.”_

_“No that’s definitely correct. $75 is the starting figure but it goes down with the 25% family discount.”_

_“Uh. The what?”_

_“The family discount. You know, for being Ian’s partner...”_

_**********_

Mickey hung up the phone and stared at it for a long time. Ian’s partner? Family discount? What the fuck was that all about. He felt a twitch in his pants and glared mutinously at his crotch. 

“Don’t you fucking dare!”

It was futile. The vaguest suggestion of being linked to Ian in such a way - this anonymous stranger - was enough to make his dick plump up. Ian could be anyone. He could be a drooling, disgusting mess of a man. But that didn’t stop Mickey from rubbing one out right there on his couch to the idea of being his partner. He didn’t cry this time, so that was something at least. 

Kevin was smiling with such triumph that Mickey was a little perturbed. 

“There he is! Hey little guy!”

“Fuck off, I’m 5’7.” Mickey retorted and broke into a smile, letting Kevin take the kid out of his arms and toss him in the air until he shrieked. 

“Glad you came back. I’ve talked to Vee and we’ve come up with a plan.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Basically, she’s gonna take care of the kids and you’re gonna work here. Cover your shifts and hers. We’ll pay full rate for your hours and half rate for hers. That way we all pay our way with childcare and we don’t have strangers watching our kids.”

Mickey squinted while he thought about it. “How many hours does she work?”

“Two shifts a week. Saturdays from noon to midnight and Sunday afternoons noon to three.”

“And she’s gonna be alright looking after three hellions?”

“My wife is a goddess, Mickey. She will be fine.”

“Alright. Trial run?”

Kevin stuck out his hand and Mickey shook it. “Pleasure doing business. Vee will be along soon to take him to the park.”

Mickey took the baby back from Kevin and held him close. Nobody other than Mickey had taken care of him since Svetlana did a moonlight flit. He wasn’t sure either of them would cope with this. Kevin saw his agonized expression and smiled reassuringly. 

“I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t think it would work.” He winked. 

Mickey nodded once. “Alright.”

Mickey yawned widely and made the kid laugh as they shared another bath that night. He’d never worked so hard in his life. In order to distract himself from the gut-wrenching feeling of being away from his son, Mickey threw himself into his work and did twice as much as normal. The cellar was cleared out and restocked. The restrooms were cleaned. The bar room floor bleached. It was enough to make Kevin’s head spin. The kid cried when Vee pried him out of Mickey’s arms but apparently he was back to his normal sunny self by the time they reached the end of the block. 

“You think that’s funny, do you?” Mickey tickled the boy under his arms. “Dada is tired. I’ve been working hard to put food in your belly.”

“Da ell.”

“Belly. Yeah. You’re gonna be a chatty fucker one day soon right.”

With the baby zonked out in his crib and the house quiet, Mickey headed to bed early. The prospect of having a slow jerk off session to thoughts of his guardian angel really appealed to him. It would be thoroughly satisfying. Only he fell asleep before his dick even knew it was meant to be doing something. 

Mickey headed out to work for the opening shift the next morning and found another box on his porch. He couldn’t fight the grin. Inside the box was a stuffed penguin toy, a bag of candy and a note. 

“ _Hi Mickey, Cassie told me you called about your bill. Please don’t freak out. I didn’t mean anything by it. I’m not some creep. I just wanted to help. That shit could really get me fired so please don’t tell anyone. The penguin was my first ever toy, so it’s practically a relic! Her name is Penny and she’s about 20 years old. Thought maybe your kid would like it. Take care, Ian._ ”

The kid was fucking delighted with the stuffed toy. He grabbed it by the beak and held on for dear life. They strolled toward the bar in a peaceful silence punctuated by the little one periodically yelling out garbled conversation to the toy and Mickey crunching on the candy. It was a weird but not unwelcome feeling to have this stranger looking out for him. He didn’t really have a lot of that in his life. 


	3. Staying Warm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey makes friends but can’t seem to forget Ian.

The bill was paid a week early. Mickey felt an uneasy sense of pride as he went to work. What was this feeling all about? Was this what it was going to be like now? _Feeling_ everything. Feeling _everything_. Had he been emotionally vacant for the last twenty years? 

“Yo, Vee is running late. Gemma locked herself in the closet again.”

Mickey snorted and shifted the kid from his left to his right hip. “I feel that.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing. You mind if I try to get him to eat? Decided his breakfast would look better on the floor today.”

“Go for it.” Kevin waved him off. 

Mickey set up in a booth and the baby was fascinated by the lights above him, allowing Mickey the opportunity to snap on a bib and save his clothes from the mush he was about to drool everywhere. 

“Open wide, hungry hippo.” Mickey coaxed the youngster to eat.

A loud crashing of the door hitting the wall made everyone in the bar look up. It was the regular who barely knew the day of the week and he was already topped up on rocket fuel. 

“See that, sunshine? That’s my worst case scenario for you. Need to deal a little weed? I get that. Need to work some shitty jobs to get by? Understood. You wanna fuck girls? Each to their own, man. You turn out like him? I’m gonna pretend I never met you in my life.”

The baby gazed at Mickey’s face as he talked, hanging on his every word. “Da no.”

“Exactly. No. No turning out like that.” Mickey scooped some mashed potatoes and ground beef into the child’s mouth. He’d never cooked a meal in his life until three months ago. Sure, he reheated shit. But, after researching on the internet what nine month old babies needed to eat, he found himself buying fresh food at the market and making up batches of meals that he could freeze. He’d so far mastered spaghetti, a mild chilli, chicken with peas and rice and a version of a pasta bake that was actually pretty fucking good thank you very much. 

“Good to see a baby getting a proper meal!”

Mickey sighed when the drunk guy draped himself over the end of the booth and pulled a funny face at the baby, who shrank back and hid in Mickey’s armpit. His black shirt was now smeared with potatoes and gravy. Nice. 

“What’s his name?”

Mickey flinched. “Mind your fuckin business. Bar’s over there.”

The guy sneered at Mickey and wagged his finger. “Another one of those guys who thinks he knows everything. Never taking any advice from experienced fathers...”

Kevin appeared with a towel in one hand and a coffee for Mickey in the other. “Think it’s just you he doesn’t take advice from, Frank.”

Frank shook his head in dismay. “Can’t give my wisdom away for free these days.”

“Many kids you got, Frank?” Kevin winked at Mickey. 

“Six...seven. No, it’s eight. Nope definitely seven.” Frank replied. “Well actually it _is_ six. The crazy queer one isn’t mine.”

Mickey’s eyebrows raised and he caught Kevin’s eye, who was cringing. “Nice. Real nice.”

“Come on, beer is over here.” Kevin led Frank away and left Mickey to wrestle the baby into position again. 

“I swear, kiddo. I’ll disown you.” Mickey whispered with wide eyes and the baby giggled, food flying everywhere. “Jesus Christ.”

Mickey hated that his heart flipped with disappointment every time he climbed the steps to his house and didn’t find anything there from Ian. _Now isn’t the time to start relying on other people to make you happy_ , he repeated in his head over and over. It would only lead to bitter disappointment. That didn’t stop his heart fluttering with hope. He bumped the stroller backward up the steps and unlocked the door, listening to the kid warble a tune that sounded like the dumb penguin cartoon he’d found on YouTube that was now religion in their house. The kid would squeal with delight and wave his Penny the Penguin toy at the screen while Pingo or Pingu or whatever the fuck did his thing. If Mickey was honest, it was fucking adorable on a gross level. 

“Nice song, sunshine.”

When they were inside and locked up for the night Mickey was able to relax. The locks on all the doors had been changed so nobody could get in without breaking in, and he had a shotgun under his bed that would take care of that if it ever happened. He wouldn’t think twice about taking someone out if the kid was in danger. 

“Okay. What are we thinking for dinner? Mac and cheese?”

The baby rambled something that only other almost-one year olds would understand but Mickey played along. 

“I know, again, but I don’t have the spare cash for caviar and oysters I’m afraid. Someone’s got a birthday coming up that needs paid for...” Mickey teased his son and set him down in his play pen. He stripped off his coat and scarf and was just about to head to the kitchen when his latest burner phone buzzed in his jeans pocket. 

“ _Yo Mick, Vee just about to dish up her famous jambalaya. Get your ass over here. It’s a taste sensation!_ ”

Mickey read and reread the message from Kevin about twenty times. His face burned with the blush he couldn’t fight. His fingers itched with the need to reply. To say yes, of course, I’ll be there in fifteen, thank you. He hadn’t eaten a meal with another adult in fuck knows how long. He would’ve paid more attention to it at the time if he knew it would be this long before it happened again. But then he also wanted to say no. No thank you, I appreciate the offer, the kid is tired, I’m tired. I don’t know how to act around people anymore. I just talk baby and try not to fucking cry in the street. He wanted to spill his guts all over the floor to the only person he really spoke to regularly. He wanted to hide away and never speak to anyone again. In the end the kid decided for him. With his big, wide blue eyes that begged him for a mac and cheese reprieve. 

It was dark when they made the walk to Kevin’s address. Instead of fighting with the stroller again Mickey attached the baby to his chest with the elastic band contraption he used to see Svetlana use. It also meant his coat could zip up around them both and keep the little one warmer. 

“More man points flying out the window, Terry. This must be fuckin killing you.” He announced cheerily out loud as he started the journey. It was only a handful of blocks between their two houses. Mickey could probably run it in under ten minutes if he didn’t have nearly 10kg of drooling shit monster attached to his front. He made general small talk with the kid on the way, trying to abate his nerves about going for dinner with his boss with baby chatter. It worked to a certain extent because the next thing he knew he was turning into Kevin’s street and dodging the guy coming out of a gate. His eyes were down looking at his phone and his ears had headphones in that blared a tinny, shitty dance beat to the whole street. 

“Sorry.” He mumbled, not looking up and deftly dodging Mickey as he pulled his hood up. His flame red hair shone even in the darkness and his pale skin was like that vampire guy out of that film Mandy made him watch once back in the day. He was gone around the corner before Mickey had a chance to even mutter under his breath about watching where he was going. 

Turns out a Vee’s jambalaya was the best damn thing Mickey had ever eaten. He wolfed down his portion and didn’t argue too much when Vee scooped seconds onto his plate. The kid seemed to like it too, even if he spent most of the time fluttering his eyelashes at one of the Ball twins. He was a born flirt and Mickey knew he didn’t get that from him. 

“Come on, sunshine. Eat up before it gets cold.”

Huge blue eyes looked his way before looking back at the object of his affection. Mickey couldn’t tell the difference between Gemma and Amy yet. They were too similar. Kevin admitted once, quietly and when they were alone, that even he struggled sometimes and he once used a Sharpie to mark their initial on the sole of their foot. 

“You got a lot of cute nicknames for him.” Vee leaned over him, uncaring that her breasts were inches from his face and her excessive amount of costume jewellery clacked loudly next to his ear. Kevin smiled at him across the table and shrugged one shoulder as if to tell Mickey that it’s okay to look. Mickey leaned back in his seat to give Vee more space and tried not to let his expression give away the fact he was cringing internally. It wasn’t a come on or anything like that. He knew Vee well enough by now to know that accidental flirting was her forte. But facts were facts. Mickey was not a boob man. 

“One more spoonful. You’re not wasting the best meal you ever had.” Mickey told the child, who finally opened his mouth when Mickey hovered with the spoon. 

“You’re great with him, you know that?” Kevin murmured softly. “I know it can’t be easy.”

“Don’t got a choice.” Mickey shrugged. “It ain’t his fault his mom left.”

“She just took off?” Kevin’s questioning was gentle and it made Mickey feel like he actually cared. 

“Yup. Middle of the night. Lungs Almighty here woke me up and I couldn’t find her anywhere. Wasn’t in her room, house was empty. Wasn’t until the next day I found the note on the fridge.”

Kevin’s eyes were wide. “What’d it say?”

Mickey smirked at his genuine curiosity. “Hate you, hate this life, never wanted to marry you anyway. Take care of the kid. Going back to Russia. Yadda yadda.” His hand waved as he paraphrased what was actually a devastating note to read. 

Svetlana actually wrote that Mickey was a weak, pathetic man who was so scared of his father that he would allow himself to marry and have a child with a woman he even didn’t like, let alone love. She added that she was getting as far away from this family as she could because it made her suicidal to be around him. But Mickey wasn’t going to reveal all that to Kevin. That was a special treat just for him that bounced around in his head morning, noon and night. Mainly because it was true. Who the fuck ever said the truth will set you free?

“What if she comes back?” Vee interrupted with a frown. “Mama’s don’t just abandon their babies.”

“There’s more maternal instinct in this spoon.” Mickey retorted. “And if she does come back she owes me a fuck ton of money so she better have been climbing some serious dick while she’s been gone.”

Vee and Kevin shared a look and squinted at Mickey to work out what the hell his life was all about. He just smiled back and reached for the baby wipes to clean up the kid. 

It wasn’t that Mickey thought about Ian constantly. Truly. It wasn’t. It was more about the fact that he didn’t have anything else in his life to focus on other than his son and his job. His friendship with Kevin was still at the tentative stage but it was developing, albeit slowly. And that was on Mickey. He found himself pulling back whenever Kevin got too carried away with questions about his life that would reveal more than Mickey was comfortable sharing. So Ian was the only thing aside from the kid and the bar that wormed into his brain. He thought about his voice a lot. Soft but firm. Gentle but commanding. He wondered what that voice would be like in bed. Commanding him softly gently firmly into positions and pulling noises out of him that he usually had to bite back. It got his dick hard thinking about that stuff, which inevitably made him ashamed of himself. The urge - no, the _need_ \- to hear the voice in his head got too much for him a couple of weeks later. It was the night before the kid’s big day and Mickey’s head ached with a repetitive loop of worry about whether he’d done enough for it. His son’s first birthday. It was a huge fucking milestone. More for Mickey than the kid, but it would set the tone for every year to come. He needed something to break the loop. He needed to thank Ian for what he did. That little white lie Ian told was a huge thing for Mickey. It allowed him to buy the kid extra new clothes and a fucking penguin cake. It mattered to him. 

**********

“ _Welcome to Orion Utilities, my name is Joanie. Can I take your account number please?”_

_“Can I speak to Ian? Gallagher. Please.”_

_“Let me see if he’s available. Hold one moment.”_

***********

Mickey’s ears were assaulted by cheesy Christmas hold music. Just as he was about to hang up and kick himself for doing something so unbelievably stupid, the line clicked back on and that voice came down the line. _That fucking voice._

“Hey Mickey.”

“How’d you know it was me?”

Ian laughed quietly. “Nobody else knows to ask for me.”

Mickey fell silent and twisted the bed sheet in his spare hand. It was only seven in the evening but the kid was down for the night and he had nothing else better to do. 

“Are you okay Mickey?”

_No. Yes. Not really. But better now. Keep talking_. 

“Yeah. Sure. I just wanted to say thanks...”

Ian was quiet. Patiently waiting for Mickey to find his words, not knowing they were buried deeper than an ocean. 

“You don’t need to thank me.”

“I do.” Mickey mumbled. “You did a nice thing for me. I need to say thanks. I _want_ to say thanks.”

Ian chuckled. “I was worried it would freak you out and you’d report me.”

Mickey let out a burst of laughter. “The fuck for? Helping me?”

“Well, you know, not every guy would be fine with people thinking stuff about them...like that.”

“You’d be surprised what I’m okay with for a 25% discount.” Mickey shot back. 

Ian laughed musically. “Well in that case, it’s my pleasure.”

Another silence fell over them but Mickey wasn’t ready to say goodbye yet. 

“It’s the kid’s birthday tomorrow. I got him a penguin cake. He’s obsessed with them.”

“Wonder why that is.” Ian pretended to muse to himself. 

“He’s a weird kid.” Mickey replied, amusement in his voice. “Seriously though. Thank you.”

“Honestly, it’s fine. Don’t even think about it.”

Mickey sighed heavily. “It’s all I’ve thought about.”

Well damn. That just slipped out. 

“Yeah?” Ian breathed. 

“Yeah. I mean, why’d you do something like that for someone like me?”

“Oh well that’s easy. I liked your voice.” 

Mickey sat upright in his bed and clutched the phone tightly in his sweaty hand. “What?”

Ian’s familiar chuckle filled his senses. “I know it sounds weird. But it’s true. When I talked to you, I just liked your voice. And your no-nonsense attitude. You sounded stressed and I could help. It was a no brainer.”

“Right.” Mickey exhaled. 

“Sorry. I know I sound like a creep. I’m not. I promise.”

“You don’t. It’s fine.”

Silence. Neither man moved to leave the call. Mickey felt his throat tighten. “Thank you.”

“I’m here for whatever you need.” Ian replied firmly, making no mention of it being in a professional capacity. 

“I should let you go...”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t wanna get you fired.”

Ian scoffed a laugh. “God no. I need this job. It’s the only way I get to keep my heating on through the winter.”

“Seriously?”

“Well if ya gotta work it might as well be something you can get all the benefits, right.”

“Right.”

“Health insurance and half price utilities makes a huge difference to my family.” Ian added. 

“Yeah.”

“Anyway, have a good night. And enjoy your son’s birthday tomorrow.”

“Thanks.”

“What’s his name, by the way?”

“I call him Sunshine.” Mickey answered, an awkward laugh hiding his discomfort. 

“Sunshine. That’s kinda sweet. I hope he has the best day.”

Silence. 

“Are you sure you’re okay, Mickey?”

Mickey sniffed back the lump in his throat. “Yeah. I’m good. Sorry, I shouldn’t have called. This is dumb. Bye.”

He hung up before he could hear Ian’s response. The whole thing was turning him into a fucking idiot and he hated how it made his body feel. Sick and nervous and excited and horny all at once. Well, it was over now. He didn’t have any need to contact Ian again. His tenuous excuse was done and finished. It was back to normal service. 

Even though it was completely evident that the kid had no fucking clue it was his birthday, the day was actually really nice. It was only a little over a week until Christmas so the whole world was in a good mood. The kid ate all his breakfast and watched his penguin cartoons on Iggy’s old stolen laptop while Mickey sat watching _him_ , wondering how the fuck his life now revolves around this little bean. The rest of his family had abandoned him but this little guy worshipped him. It was humbling. 

“Da! Wah wah!” 

Mickey grinned at him trying to mimic the cartoon and nodded sagely. “Wise words.”

It had snowed overnight and a light dusting was currently covering the ground outside, and it occurred to Mickey as he watched his son enthralled by penguins that it was his first snowfall. 

“Hey sunshine, wanna go outside?”

He was met by huge blue eyes and a smile. This miniature weirdo would probably follow him anywhere. 

“Da? Wah?”

“We can wah wah to your heart’s content.”

Mickey felt a joyful glee as he dressed his son in several layers and got him ready to see his first ever snow. When they were both ready, and even the kid could feel the excitement in the air, Mickey took them outside. Snow had started to fall again in light patterns that made him feel like they were in a snow globe. 

“DA! DA!”

“I know! I see!”

“Wah wah wah wah.” 

Mickey laughed, his heart light with happiness. The penguin impression was pretty accurate. 

“You like that?”

“Dada!”

Mickey pressed a kiss to his son’s temple. “Happy birthday, sunshine.”

Just as Mickey was about to take the first step off the porch he spotted something under the stoop, shielding from the snow. He plucked out a shoe box from the gap and lifted the lid, his heart pounding with nerves. Inside, Mickey found an envelope with ‘Sunshine’ written in a scrawl that was now familiar and soothing. There was a book with a bright blue cover and the image of a fluffy penguin on the front and a sippy cup with the exact cartoon character that the kid obsessed over on the side. He opened the envelope and pulled out a birthday card in the shape of the number one. Mickey’s heart was stuttering wildly in his chest and he felt faint. 

“ _Happy birthday, Sunshine. I hope you have the best day ever with your brilliant Daddy. Love, Ian._ ”

Mickey stared at it for far too long. The baby yelling out for his attention drew him back to reality and Mickey stroked his son’s hair back and pulled his hat over his ears. “It’s a card for you. That creepy guy at the electricity place just won’t leave us alone. Ugh.”

The kid giggled like Mickey had told him the funniest joke in the world. And, in a way, he had. Mickey spotted a note tucked under the book. He read it with a shaky hand. 

“ _Hi Mickey, it was so nice to talk last night. You made a long, late shift much better. Thanks. I got your little ray of Sunshine a couple of things. Hope that’s not weird. It probably is. Like I said, I promise I’m not a creep. I just really like your voice. You sound nice, you know? For fuck sake please don’t report me! I hope you both have a great day. Love, Ian._ ”

Mickey read the note three times. It still wasn’t enough. He wanted to trace the loops on the word ‘love’ with his finger. He wanted to burn it and pretend he wasn’t falling for this anonymous stranger like it was the most normal thing in the world. Most of all, he wanted to know this person. He wanted to know what he looked like so he didn’t just see shadows in his mind when he pictured Ian’s voice. He wanted to chat and laugh and tell him about his little ray of sunshine. He wanted to be a fucking normal 21 year old with a crush. Was that too much to ask?

“Dada!”

“Alright, alright. Let’s go.”

They stepped out into the snow and the baby shrieked. Mickey did a slow spin and let him feel the flakes land on his face. 

“One year.” Mickey murmured to himself. “Wow.”


	4. Overwhelmed and Overdue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey finds out who his friends are when life takes an unwanted turn.

The new routine Mickey found himself in calmed his nervous energy. The kid was learning new sounds and words every day and Mickey would spend hours talking to him like he was an adult. Kevin continued to include Mickey and his son in various activities. They went to eat dinner with the Ball family at least once every couple of weeks. Mickey felt like he was on an even keel for the first time in months. He made legit money every week and his bills were paid on time. It was a novel thing for a Milkovich. He still thought of Ian sometimes. He still heard his voice in his head, using it to help himself along on the rare occasion he jerked off. It awakened a need in him that he still fought tooth and nail to ignore. 

Things were going well. Too well. So obviously that couldn’t last. A couple of weeks into the new year, the little one came down with a heavy cold and was the most miserable Mickey had ever seen him. It was like teething but a million times worse. 

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” 

The baby’s face was red and blotchy as he screamed the roof off. It didn’t matter how much Mickey tried to soothe him, he wouldn’t stop crying. 

“What’s wrong?”

Mickey watched as the baby stuck his fist in his cheek and screamed. 

“I can’t...I don’t know...FUCK!”

That just brought more tears and Mickey’s arms ached with the weight of holding his son for so long. 

Kevin was alright about him skipping work to take care of the kid. He was a family man so he got it, and even though Mickey didn’t seem to know what the fuck he was supposed to do when Kevin told him to take all the time he needed. It had been two days and nights of screaming when Mickey packed them up and took him to the emergency clinic. 

“An abscess?” Mickey repeated when the doctor diagnosed the kid. 

“Yup. Pretty common in teething babies. He’s in a lot of pain. It’s no wonder he won’t settle.”

“Jesus fuck.”

“He needs antibiotics. You got insurance?”

Mickey’s heart sank. “No.”

“Alright. We’ll prescribe the generics and bill you at the desk.”

The doctor was gone and Mickey was left with a whimpering baby and the fear of God inside him when he had to fork out forty dollars for the medication.

The baby cried for another full day and Mickey had never felt so helpless in his life. Neither of them had slept, or bathed for that matter, in days and Mickey was worried he was losing the plot. 

Kevin opened the door and Mickey handed the baby over before he even said hello. 

“I can’t do this.”

“Mickey...what’s going on?”

“I can’t do it. I’m no good at this. I’m ruining his life.”

Kevin grabbed Mickey by the arm and pulled him closer. “What’s happened?”

“He’s sick and he won’t stop crying and I didn’t take him to the clinic until yesterday. He’s in agony and I let him suffer for two days...I’m a shitty father. I can’t do this anymore!”

Kevin pulled harder when Mickey tried to slip away. “Shut the fuck up.”

“Kev...please just take him...” Mickey burned with shame when the tears started. “Please let me go.”

“I can’t do that.”

Before Mickey had a chance to bolt, Kevin dragged him into the house and locked them in. The baby continued to wail and squirm against Kevin’s broad chest. Vee appeared and took in the scene. 

“Teething?”

“Abscess.” Mickey replied, feeling sick with embarrassment. “He’s had antibiotics.”

Vee smiled kindly. “They take a little while to kick in. Come sit. I’ll make some drinks and Kevin can take him upstairs.”

Twenty minutes later and Mickey was nearly comatose on the couch. Kevin had disappeared up the spiral stairs with the kid and he hadn’t seen or heard them since. Vee had made hot chocolates laced with brandy and Mickey drank it down as soon as it was cool enough. His eyes drooped with tiredness and Vee ran a hand through his lank, greasy hair. 

“He’s safe with us. Get some sleep.”

That was all Mickey needed to hear and he fell asleep instantly. 

It was a knock at the door followed by hushed voices that woke him, but he kept his eyes closed so he didn’t look like an idiot. 

“Who’s that?”

“A friend. Works at the bar. He’s having a tough time.”

“Saint Veronica to the rescue again huh.”

“Behave. S’not like you’re not a nice guy when the need arises.”

“Hmm. So Debbie will bring it back in the morning.”

“No problem.”

Mickey listened to Vee usher out her guest and tried to focus on his surroundings. His sleep-deprived brain was playing tricks on him and making everyone sound like Ian in his head. It was devastating and cruel. 

“Vee?”

“Yeah sweetie?”

“Who was that?”

“Just my neighbor. Needed to borrow our iron. I’m gonna make up the spare bed for you guys tonight.”

Mickey peeled his eyes open and struggled to sit up. “I need to get him home...”

“Not tonight. You need to be with us tonight.”

Kevin was flat on his back asleep on his bed when Mickey and Vee headed upstairs to bed. Three small children sprawled over him, also asleep. The satin leopard print sheets made Mickey want to gag but the sight of his son sleeping soundly with the gentle giant of a man was incredible. 

“Should I take him?” Mickey hovered by the door, whispering. 

“I set the girls’ spare crib up in their room. They can have a sleepover.” Vee replied. “You go to bed.”

It was awkward coming down for breakfast the next day. Mickey had slept for ten hours. He should feel refreshed but his anxiety was biting at his nerves. The kid was on Kevin’s knee and sucking on a piece of toast when he got to the kitchen. 

“Da! Dada!”

Mickey smiled and waved at his son. “Hey sunshine.”

“Sit down, Mick. There’s coffee in the pot and bacon on the stove.” Vee swept into the room, wiping milk from one daughter’s face with one hand and straightening the braid of the other with the second hand. 

“I...uh...this is weird...I’m sorry...”

Kevin raised his hand. “Don’t wanna hear apologies from you, man. Not for any of this. You’re doing the best you can and you needed help. You did the right thing.”

“I’m fucking him up.”

Vee’s hand shot out and the slapped him on the back of the head. “No you are not. That little boy is happy and loved. Nobody is perfect but you’re doing a damn fine job.”

Mickey rubbed the back of his head and glared at his son, who was giggling at the cartoon caper slap he’d just received. “I’m scared they’re gonna take him away from me.”

“Nobody is going anywhere.” Kevin assured him. “And if you need a break again you come here.”

Mickey chewed on his bottom lip and stared at the table. “Thanks.”

“Now eat your damn breakfast then go take a shower.” Vee added with a harsh voice and a soft smile. 

It took a couple of days for the kid to perk up and get back to normal but when he did he clung to Mickey like a koala. He couldn’t put him down without wails of despair. Instead of being frustrated by it though, Mickey found himself accepting all of the hugs and giving plenty out to his son. Their blip had passed and they were okay. 

His phone rang with an unknown number late in the evening when the kid was in bed. Mickey frowned as he answered, hating the bubble of anxiety that tightened a grip on his throat. 

“Hello?”

“Hi Mickey.”

“ _Ian_?”

Ian chuckled quietly. “Yeah. How are you?”

“Oh you know. Existing.”

“I do know. How’s the little ray of sunshine?”

Mickey smiled at Ian’s question. “He’s been sick for a few days but he’s on the mend now.”

“Oh no, what’s been the problem?”

“Teething issues. Needed some antibiotics.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. How’s he doing now?”

Mickey laughed. “Eating, sleeping, shitting and smiling. Back to normal.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“You call just to check up on us?”

“Kinda.” Ian’s voice was low and soothing. “You’re three days late with your payment this month.”

Mickey’s stomach swooped. “No fuckin way.”

“Yeah...”

“Shit. Fuck. I was so tied up with the kid being sick and paying his clinic fee that I forgot all about it...”

Ian breathed a laugh. “That’s okay. Do you have the money to pay it today?”

“Uh...shit...I get paid tomorrow...”

“That’s fine. I’ll update your record to show it will be paid by the weekend. Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m sorry. Fuck!” Mickey groaned. “You stuck your neck out for me and I do this...”

“Mickey, you’re a single father with a sick child. Nobody is going to think badly of you for dropping the ball once or twice. It’s all good.”

Mickey took a few calming breaths. “Thanks.”

“It’s all good.” Ian repeated. 

“I just struggled this last couple of weeks. Seeing him in pain, screaming. Not sleeping. I nearly lost my shit.”

“I’m sorry.”

Mickey sniffed and wiped at his nose. “Yeah. I’m sorry you had to call.”

Ian laughed cheerfully. “Trust me when I say, that’s never a problem for me.”

“Oh yeah I forgot,” Mickey teased. “You like my voice.”

“I do.” Ian admitted freely. “Sue me.”

“I like your voice too.” Mickey replied, almost silently. 

Their silence was comfortable and crackled with a tension that made Mickey feel alive. 

“I wonder what you look like sometimes.”

Ian’s statement made Mickey’s body go on high alert. “You do?”

“Yeah. I don’t know what to picture when I hear your voice.”

Mickey smiled shyly even though Ian couldn’t see him. “5’7. Black hair. Tattoos. Usually have a kid strapped to me.”

Ian chuckled. “Sounds great.”

“What about you?” Mickey gulped. 

“Six feet. Ginger.” Ian answered. “Kinda alien looking.”

Mickey broke into a fit of laughter. “Sounds great.”

“Maybe one day we bump into each other and have a proper conversation away from this utilities shit.” Ian murmured. 

Mickey coughed. “That’d be nice.”

“I gotta go. Thirty calls in the queue and everyone’s gone for a smoke break at the same time.” Ian sighed loudly. 

“Go do your thing, man. And thanks for calling. I’ll sort my shit out.”

“No worries. Catch you later.”

It was still another half second before they hung up. Mickey’s whole body tingled for an hour after the fact. 

Mickey’s eyes found the small box on the porch before he even stepped outside. A huge grin lit up his face and he switched the kid to his other arm so he could pick it up. 

“What do we have here, sunshine? Our stalker just won’t give up. Hmm? I guess we don’t want him to. You’re right.”

The kid threw a few random words out and pointed at the box until Mickey opened it. He grinned and pulled out a small bag of candy, putting it in his coat pocket away from the grabby hands of his child. Then he took out the kid’s gift, a knitted black beanie hat with a penguin beak stitched onto the front. 

“Ping!”

“That’s right, kiddo. The weirdo probably knitted it himself.” Mickey chuckled and switched out the hat the kid was already wearing for his new one. Mickey opened up the note and his pulse sped up when he saw the scrawl he’d come to crave. 

“ _Hey Mickey, so my brother knits (weird, I know) and I asked him to do me a penguin hat for Sunshine. I hope it’s okay. He’s not been doing it long but he’s kinda talented. I’ve been thinking about you guys a lot lately. I like talking to you. A lot. So I’ve left my number on the bottom. You can use it if you like, or burn it and pretend it never happened. I won’t put any pressure on you. Anyway, have a great day. Love, Ian x_ ”

Under his name was a cell phone number and another kiss. Mickey’s hand shook as he stared at it. This was what he wanted, right? A way to connect him to Ian. He’d made that step and it was what Mickey _wanted_ to happen. So why did his hand want to clench up and hide the digits?

“ _The kid loves the hat. Wanted to wear it in the bathtub. Thanks. Mickey._ ”

He lay in bed and stared at his phone screen, the words blurring slightly as his hand shook. He wasn’t even sure when he’d decided to send Ian a message. It was like his fingers moved faster than his brain. When the phone beeped a moment later he braced himself for whatever he might get back. 

“ _Mickey! Hey!! So glad you got in touch. It felt weird talking to you at work now. Plus, I was running out of reasons to call! My bro will be thrilled he likes the hat!_ ”

Mickey exhaled a shuddering breath of relief. He wondered if this was what being a teenager with a crush was like, since he’d barely experienced anything like that when was of acceptable age. Mickey spent his teen years avoiding his father’s evil eye and sneaking to the park for random encounters with guys in the bushes. They were usually older, often married and Mickey spent the whole time avoiding eye contact. Developing a crush on a real person was incredibly unlikely. Ian was the first guy Mickey had fixated on and part of him worried that it was the knight in shining armour thing that attracted him. Did he only attach his crush to Ian because of everything he’d done for him, or was this a good old fashioned thing going on? Mickey wasn’t even 100% sure Ian was actually gay. The signs were there and Mickey wasn’t stupid but neither man had actively confirmed or denied anything to each other. What if Ian was just a super sweet straight guy who wanted to save the lost souls of the world with cheaper electricity and knitted baby hats?

“ _You don’t need a reason to call_.”

God damn his twitchy fingers. 


	5. Two Worlds Collide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kevin celebrates his birthday and unwittingly brings Ian closer to Mickey.

Kevin’s birthday was at the end of January and he decided to have a party at the bar to celebrate. Vee told Mickey in no uncertain terms that he would be attending, without his trusty sidekick. She’d arranged for her usual babysitter, a young girl who lived in her street, to have the kid as well as the twins. Turned out she wouldn’t even charge for it. That was a bonus Mickey couldn’t pass up but he did feel a disgusting swirling in his stomach when he thought about a stranger looking after his son. Vee assured him it was safe and she vouched for the girl absolutely, so Mickey sucked up his fear and let it happen. He arrived at the bar in his best dark jeans and a black button down feeling like a clown.

“Hey Mick!” Kevin wrapped him up in a hug. “Glad you came.”

“Your wife didn’t give me a lot of choice. She kidnapped the kid and told me the ransom was a few hours spent here.” Mickey smirked.

Kevin nodded happily. “I know. I told her to do it. Grab yourself a drink and get mingling.”

Mickey snorted and headed to the bar knowing there’d be way more drinking and way less mingling going on. He found himself a seat at the end of the bar and watched the world go by while he sipped his beer. The bar was busy and that made Mickey anxious. His spot by the door meant he saw everyone who came in before they saw him, which settled his nerves a little. People milled around and chatted to each other like the friendly neighborhood dive bar it was. Mickey made his way through a few beers and a little conversation with Kevin before a flash of red caught his eye. The guy with the head of flames looked vaguely familiar, like he’d seen him somewhere before, but Mickey couldn’t place him. He was tall and athletic in build and had Mickey salivating all over the bar. Mickey watched as the guy moved around the opposite side of the room and chatted to several people, all with a huge smile on his gorgeous face. An unsettling feeling stirred in his stomach when he caught himself finding this guy attractive. Ian’s voice popped into his head and his stomach flipped, like he was guilty. Like he was cheating? Cheating on Ian?

“Aw fuck no.” Mickey growled under his breath and knocked back the last of his beer.

As if the guy heard something, he looked up and caught Mickey’s eye. He smiled shyly and glanced away but that was enough of a connection to make Mickey blush and deepen the guilty feeling that was swarming him.

“Where are you going?” Kevin’s voiced boomed.

“Home. I’m done.” Mickey shrugged on his coat.

“No way. It’s not even nine yet. Sit your ass down.”

Another beer ended up on the counter and Mickey scowled.

“I just wanna go. Pick up my kid before the birds start singing. Get some damn sleep.” Mickey groaned.

“All in good time. He’s fine with Debbie. She used to run a day care so she knows what she’s doing. He’s all set until the morning so will you just relax.”

It was hard to argue with Kevin when he was both pleading and fucking enormous at the same time.

“Fine. Whatever.”

“We gotta find you a lady, my friend. Get rid of some of this tension you got.” Kevin wiggled his brows and Mickey felt his jaw swing open. “Been a while, huh?”

Mickey blushed to his roots. “Fuck off, I ain’t talking about my sex life with you!”

“Only cuz you haven’t got one.” Kevin teased.

“Holy fuck.”

“I’m kidding! But really though, getting you laid is my birthday resolution.”

Mickey rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that ain’t a thing big guy.”

Kevin winked. “We’ll see.”

“Seriously. Let’s not.”

The huge man sauntered away with finger guns pointing at Mickey.

The night got a little better as time went on. Mickey chatted with the two guys who warmed the bar stools every day and kept catching the eye of the redhead over the way. There was no way in a million years Mickey was going to initiate any kind of conversation with him, but he was certainly nice to look at. When it was an appropriate time to leave, Mickey sloped off to the men’s room to water the plants before his walk home. The only space left was in a cubicle so he closed the door and got to business, barely registering when the door opened to the restroom and voices filled the air.

“You should talk to him. Don’t tell me you’re actually passing up the chance of a hook up for some guy you only talk to on the phone.”

The other man’s response was muffled by the hand drier but the first guy carried on regardless.

“You cannot cheat on a guy if you’re not dating. If you’ve never even met. Come on, this is crazy.”

“It’s not crazy. I might not have met him but I _know_ him.”

“It is crazy, Ian. Think about what you’re doing here. You’ve been making eyes at a guy all night, you think he’s so hot you can’t keep your tongue in your mouth but you refuse to go talk to him because of this fantasy boyfriend you’ve got in your head!”

Hold the fuck up. _Ian_? Did this asshole just say Ian?

Mickey gasped and pressed his ear against the door of the cubicle. Was this Ian? His Ian? How the fuck could that be? He needed to hear the voice. That would make it real. He waited and waited but all he heard was the sound of piss hitting porcelain and the faucet running. He needed to hear that fucking voice! The outer door slamming signalled the end of the conversation and Mickey groaned loudly against the cubicle wall.

“Come on, buddy. You got this.” An encouraging voice piped up from the next stall.

Mickey rolled his eyes in dismay. This abomination of a night was fucking over.

The bar was the busiest Mickey had ever seen when he emerged from the restroom. He looked around frantically for any sign of the redhead, who was the only person who even had potential to be the Ian he was looking for. No sign of him anywhere. 

“Sweetie, what’s wrong?” Vee was peering at him like he had grown another nose. 

“I gotta go.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Can I have the address to pick up the kid?”

Vee tilted her head in consideration. “He’s good with Debbie until morning.”

Mickey leaned in. “But I’m not. I need my son.”

She smiled and squeezed his arm. “I get it. Gimme a minute and I’ll get you the address. I’ll tell Deb you’re on your way.”

The house was two doors down from Kevin and Vee’s place. As soon as he turned the corner and saw the number his heart juddered in his chest. He knew exactly where he’d seen the guy in the bar. It was coming out of this house, with his shitty dance music blasting and not looking where he was going. Mickey took a breath and darted up the steps to the front door, which swung open before he could knock. A young girl with curly red hair appeared and grinned happily. 

“You must be Mickey. Come on in.”

He followed her inside and watched as she disappeared up the staircase. He perched on the arm of a chair and waited for her to return, hopefully with his son. It was after midnight and he was stone cold sober. He wanted to go home and bury himself under all his blankets and try to ignore the game of confusion tennis happening in his brain. She returned a moment later with an armful of sleeping baby, wrapped in a blanket that didn’t belong to him but wearing his penguin hat. 

“He’s adorable. And so well behaved!”

“Thanks. I gave him the best behavior speech before we left the house.”

Debbie laughed quietly. “Well it worked. He was a piece of cake. Gemma on the other hand...”

A voice suddenly piped up from the top of the stairs, just as Mickey was about to take the kid from Debbie. 

“Hey Deb. What’s my old penguin doing here?”

Mickey saw her expression change to confusion and his heart thudded in his ears. 

“Ian, are you stoned?” She retorted and footsteps got louder. 

“No, well not really. My old penguin toy was on the floor. I gave it away a while back. What the fuck is it doing here?”

It was him. It was his voice. Mickey felt a sickness in his gut and he automatically stepped back from Debbie. The tall, athletic redhead from the bar sloped down the steps with Penny the Penguin in his hand. He saw Mickey and a smile erupted on his freckled face. 

“Mickey.” He blurted out. 

Mickey scratched at the back of his neck like he’d burst out in hives. “Hey.”

Debbie looked between them. “You two know each other?”

“Yes.” Ian grinned. 

“No.” Mickey stated at the same time. “Not really.” He added, hating the flinch of sadness on Ian’s face. 

Debbie reached out her arms and passed the sleeping baby over to Mickey, who arranged him carefully against his shoulder. 

“Is this Sunshine?” Ian gasped softly and stepped closer. 

Debbie frowned. “What the fuck is happening here?”

Mickey met Ian's eyes and chewed on his lip, while Ian smiled at him broadly. 

“I’ll take it from here, Debs.” Ian waved his sister away and Debbie shook her head in disbelief. 

“Think of me next time you need a sitter. $10 an hour.” She muttered to Mickey, even though it was obvious he wasn’t taking anything in. He was too busy staring at Ian, and Ian was staring back in a way that was a little creepy and a lot sexy. 

Mickey held his son close and breathed in his familiar, grounding smell. Like lavender soap and baby powder. He watched Ian like a hawk and swayed on the spot. His brain was telling him to bolt but his feet grew roots. 

“This is a lot for you.” Ian exhaled gently. “I’m sorry.”

“How? How is this you?” Mickey whispered. 

Ian smiled shyly. “Fate, I guess?”

“This is fucked up.”

Ian’s smile slipped. “Yeah. Maybe.”

“I gotta get him home.” Mickey was itching to move, to do anything to stop his stomach flipping and making him nauseous. 

The redhead stepped closer and held out the stuffed penguin. “Don’t forget Penny.”

“Thanks.”

“Can I...uh...call you? Tomorrow?”

Mickey nodded once. “Okay.”

“I think it would be good to talk.”

“Yeah.”

Ian held the door open for Mickey and he stepped out into the night. “He’s really beautiful.”

Mickey instinctively pressed a kiss to his son’s curly mop of hair. “He is.”

They hovered on either side of the threshold and didn’t know what to say. Mickey was like a scared rabbit and Ian was stock still so he didn’t spook him. 

“Goodnight Mickey.” Ian murmured, giving him permission to leave. 

“Yeah. Bye.” Mickey was gone into the darkness. 

The kid didn’t wake up the whole way home and Mickey put him down in his crib with shaking hands. He stripped out of his coat and changed into sweatpants and a shirt so washed out it was almost threadbare. While he waited for the kettle to boil so he could have a cup of tea, his phone beeped. 

“ _I can’t believe I met you. I hope I don’t wake up tomorrow and find out this was all a weed-induced dream_.”

Mickey snorted and shook his head. He was struggling to process the events of the evening. Ian had been under his nose all along. It was a complete mind-fuck. Still, his fingers twitched with a need to reply. 

“🤔 _Who dis??_ ”

“ _Jesus. Don’t fuck with me. Not sure my heart can take it. You don’t know how much I’ve wanted to meet you. I almost waited on your porch so you’d find me_.”

Mickey sucked in a breath and smiled. “ _That would need to be a pretty big box. Maybe one day you could give it a try._ ”

He made his tea and waited for Ian’s response. When he settled in front of the tv he checked his phone and read Ian’s message. 

“ _One day soon?_ ”

“ _Goodnight Ian_.”


	6. Coffee and Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey gets the nerve to instigate contact with Ian, which leads to a proper meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come say hello @dodger_bear on Twitter and @dodgerbear84 on tumblr 🧡

The kid woke Mickey at an obscenely early time and they found themselves having breakfast at five in the goddamn morning. Which on any other day wouldn’t be too bad but since Mickey had spent pretty much the entire night pacing the floor and feeling a sick, nervous excitement he was now running on fumes. 

“You know this isn’t normal, right?” Mickey told his son as he handed over a piece of buttered toast. “The birds usually get up first. _Then_ us.”

The boy kicked his legs in his high chair and shot his father a grin that was both wicked and adorable before he shoved the toast into his mouth. 

“Just wait until you’re a teenager and you think you’re gonna sleep full days away. Nuh huh. Not on my watch. I’m gonna wake you up every morning like some kinda sergeant major.”

The implication, the expectation, that Mickey would still be in this heavily involved parental role in over a decade from now was a warm weight in his chest. He grinned back at the kid and tickled his neck rolls until he giggled. His mind went back to Ian and the sheer beauty of the man he’d been communicating with for the last few months. How could it be that he was so close all this time? So intricately connected through Kevin and Vee. He’d never been one of those ‘everything happens for a reason’ guys but this was testing that resolve to the maximum. He gazed at his son as he munched his way through breakfast and wondered if he had any clue what was happening around him. Did he miss his mother? Mickey sure as fuck didn’t but then he hadn’t relied on her for everything for the first six months of his life either. Did he love Mickey? Sure, he laughed when Mickey played with him and he sometimes, randomly, would crawl up into the crook of Mickey’s neck and snuggle in for daddy hugs. Was that all it was? That bond they shared that was borne of their abandonment was now solid and Mickey knew he would die for his son. Would Ian change that? Mickey’s head swam with thoughts about Ian and the kid and then back to Ian again until he was dizzy. Part of Mickey hoped Ian was serious about waiting on his porch for him, even though the other part (and way bigger part, if he was honest) was terrified that it might actually happen. He didn’t know how to approach the situation. Now that Ian wasn’t just a faceless fantasy on the other end of a phone it made it all the more intense. Now he had a face - a fucking gorgeous face - and Mickey couldn’t get it out of his head. Ian now had a face _and_ a personality. One that Mickey was more attracted to than anyone he’d ever met in his life. 

“But my life is a big fucked up mess, isn’t it sunshine?”

“Shine.”

“Gonna have to start using your name soon. You’re gonna go to school thinking Sunshine is your real name.”

“Dada eel.”

Mickey chuckled and nodded. “Yup. Real. Clever kiddo.”

Typically, the kid went straight back to sleep as soon as they cleared up after breakfast. It was still only six am so it wasn’t a surprise that he was still tired but Mickey was still silently seething as he was now wide awake. While the kid slept face down on the living room floor after giving up mid-crawl, Mickey pottered around tidying the house up. It made him proud that the home he’d grown up in and had spent years feeling embarrassed about was now a clean and unrecognizable home. He’d spent a long time getting it turned around over the last few months and he was happy his son could now crawl all around the floor without hurting himself. The kid was threatening to start taking his first steps but kept wobbling at the last second and landing on his ass, which ended in either fits of giggles or sobs of sadness. He took out his phone and snapped a photo of the kid asleep on the floor. He was ass up and his face was smashed against Penny, his dark blond curly hair was sticking up in all directions. It was the cutest thing Mickey had seen since the last time he snapped a photo. Last week. Of the kid. Fast asleep with his middle finger sticking up in true Milkovich style. Impulsively, Mickey opened up a message to Ian and attached the two photos. He sent it before he could change his mind. 

“ _My kid has no chill when he’s asleep_.”

Ian must’ve been awake because he replied immediately. 

“ _Wow that’s cute. He has got a real bed tho yeah? 🤣_ ”

Mickey snorted, his fingers flying over the phone. 

“ _Only when he has pleased me_.”

Ian sent back an outpouring of laughing emojis but the speech bubble remained on the screen. Mickey tapped his fingers on the screen and waited impatiently for the next message. When it came through it punched him in the gut. 

“ _Coffee?_ ”

“ _Now?_ ”

“ _Sure. Patsy’s Diner?_ ”

Mickey thought about it for a full three minutes. He left his own cursor flashing so Ian would have to wait for the response. Finally he tapped out his reply. 

“ _Gimme an hour. The kid turns into the fuckin Hulk if I wake him up before he’s ready._ ”

Ian replied with a thumbs up and then Mickey spent the next hour running through every worst case scenario in his tiny little mind. 

As it goes, Mickey had been way off base with his mental gymnastics about how the first real meeting would go down. He’d settled on an expectation of awkwardness. With his lack of any kind of recent human interaction, particularly with guys who looked like the ginger freckled descendants of the gods, meant he wasn’t holding out much hope for seamless conversation. The reality was much different. Ian was instantly captivated by the drool monster and, after a beaming grin of greeting at Mickey, he spent the next half hour entertaining the child. 

“He’s so cute.” Ian crooned and bounced the kid on his knee. 

“Of course he is. He looks like me.” Mickey grinned. It was easy to be playful with Ian. _That was a good sign, right?_

Ian laughed and handed the kid one of his pieces of fruit that Mickey chopped up and carried in a box every damn day. Mickey was not going to allow his son to grow up only knowing the names of three fucking vegetables by the time he was ten like he fucking did. 

“I gotta ask, Mick. While we’re in public and you can’t beat me to death. I haven’t read the signs wrong, have I? I mean, you’re definitely bi. Right?”

Mickey’s jaw dropped and he shook his head. “No, Ian. I’m not bi.”

Ian’s face fell and his freckles were instantly hidden behind a blush. “Oh.”

“I’m gay.” Mickey murmured so only Ian could hear. “Not common knowledge around here, but yeah, I’m gay.”

“Oh my God. You had me so worried.” Ian gasped and laughed nervously. 

“You really thought I’d beat you up?”

“No. I was worried I was crushing on a straight guy.”

Silence fell over them and they just gazed at each other for a moment. No words spoken but a lot of energy passed between them. 

“And I thought since you had this little guy you must be bi.”

Mickey scoffed quietly. “I have this little guy _because_ I’m gay.”

“Well sure. That makes sense.” Ian’s voice was dry but amused. 

“Story for another day.” Mickey waved his hand and Ian grinned. 

“There’s gonna be another day?”

Mickey flipped him off and drank some coffee, hiding his smirk behind his cup. 

“So...” Mickey thumbed his bottom lip. “You wanna eat?”

“Share a pancake stack?”

Mickey’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What kind?”

Ian snorted like it wasn’t even up for debate. “Banana, obviously.”

Mickey exhaled and broke into a smirk. “Damn right.”

As Mickey and the kid embarked on their second breakfast of the day, since the younger Milkovich kept stealing perfectly baby-sized chunks of fluffy pancake from Ian’s plate when he was pretending not to look, they chatted amiably about life. Ian told Mickey all about how worked at Orion pretty much full time and was saving up to get his own place. Mickey told Ian about working for Kevin at the bar. 

“Oh my God!” Ian spluttered. “You’re the sleeping guy on Vee’s couch!”

“You were the neighbor.” Mickey replied flatly. “I was so exhausted I thought I was just hearing your voice in my head.”

Ian reached out and rubbed his thumb over the back of Mickey’s hand once and then pulled away. “I can’t believe our paths have crossed already.”

“You believe in that fate shit?” Mickey teased. 

“You know what, I kinda think I do.” 

“What’s his real name? You don’t look hippie-ish enough to actually call him Sunshine.”

Breakfast was over and the plates were cleared, leaving the two men and the baby sitting with one last coffee. Mickey blushed and rearranged the salt and pepper shakers while he spoke. “It’s Yevgeny.”

“Yevgeny?” Ian repeated slowly. “That’s different.”

“It’s a dumb fuckin commie name and I hate it.” Mickey burst out with more venom than he meant to include. 

Ian tilted his head. “Isn’t your name Russian?”

“Ukrainian.” Mickey said witheringly. “ _His_ name is Russian.”

Ian nodded once. “I guess you didn’t pick his name.”

“Nope. His mother did. Wasn’t enough for her to ruin my life, she had to try her best to mess him up too. Named him after her dad.”

“That’s kinda sweet...”

“He sold her to a sex trafficking gang for the equivalent of two hundred dollars and bottle of whiskey.” Mickey’s eyes rolled. “So I call him anything other than that.”

Ian’s eyes were wide in the face of Mickey’s vitriol and Mickey noticed for the first time how green they were. He had never seen anything like them before. 

“You’re really fuckin beautiful.” He blurted out before his brain could control his tongue. 

Ian was visibly taken aback and could only laugh out of his nose. “Coming from you?”

Mickey blushed again and wondered if he would just learn to live with the constant warmth all over his body when Ian was around. The kid had run out of food and attention so he started to pull on Ian’s shirt collar until he looked down at him. 

“Noot.”

“Wah wah.” Ian replied and it couldn’t have been a more perfect response. The child’s face lit up like he’d been _heard_. This guy got him!

“What the fuck?” Mickey chuckled. 

“Pingu.” Ian replied proudly. “Debs put it on for the kids at her daycare all the time.”

Mickey folded his arms across his chest and took a moment to watch his son ramble excitedly to this perfect stranger about some trippy as fuck cartoon. All the warnings his brain had given him about taking things slow, not getting too attached and being responsible for his own happiness were being pushed aside by how right this felt. How good Ian looked with his son perched on his lap and eating indiscriminately from his plate. How happy his son looked in the arms of a man who wasn’t his father. It was hard not to get carried away when it all felt so good. 

“You okay, Mickey?”

“Yeah.”

“Not moving too fast?”

He shook his head simply. “Nope.”

“Good. Coz I’m gonna need to see you again.”

Mickey tipped his head to the side. “Yeah?”

Ian just nodded back and Mickey laughed softly. “Alright then.”

Mickey walked home pushing an empty stroller. The kid was on Ian’s shoulders and giving a running commentary on the world going by in his own garbled language, all the while drooling into Ian’s flame red hair. Ian either didn’t mind or didn’t noticed and held on to the kid’s hands securely. 

“I got work at 12.” Mickey stated when they walked up to his house. 

“I start at 2.” Ian added. 

“Probably not a good time to continue this.” Mickey acknowledged and accepted the child back from Ian. 

“Probably not.” Ian agreed easily. “Just gonna have to mark it down as To Be Continued.”

“Yeah.”

“Even though I would sell my soul to kiss you right now.”

Heat flooded Mickey’s body and he sucked in a deep breath of air. Ian carried on as if he hadn’t just blown Mickey’s mind. “But I can wait.”

“Okay.” Mickey said shakily. 

Ian tickled the kid under his chin. “I like the name Yev.”

“Yev.” Mickey repeated slowly. 

“Close enough to his name but not his name.” Ian shrugged. 

“Yev.” Mickey said again. “Yeah. I like that.”

Ian dragged himself away and jumped down the last couple of steps. “See you guys soon.”

Mickey watched him leave with a sadness taking up space in his chest and mumbled under his breath. “You’d better.”

Kevin was hungover at the bar and didn’t look like he’d even gone to bed after his party. The place was still a mess and Mickey left Kevin behind the bar serving their three customers while he took a trash bag around to clear up. 

“You didn’t even seem drunk.” Mickey teased his boss. “How are you like this?”

Kevin rubbed his forehead. “Lock in. Frank Gallagher. That’s all you need to know.”

“Gallagher?” Mickey repeated, fighting to keep his cards hidden. 

“Yeah. You know, Frank.”

“Didn’t know he was a Gallagher. He live next to you?”

Kevin’s face pinched. “Not really. It’s his kids place really. He always attaches himself to someone with money, turns up when it runs out.”

Mickey nodded and turned away to gather up more trash. “The guy with all the kids. Right.”

“Yeah. Fiona is the oldest. She raised those kids her damn self.” Kevin scowled. “Then there’s Lip. He’s the smart one. Too smart sometimes. Then there’s Ian. Resourceful kid. Makes shit happen. Then there’s Debs, who you met. Then Carl. Great kid. Don’t leave him alone with anything you value. Then Liam. Baby of the family.”

Mickey scooped up some empty bottles and dropped them on the bar so Kevin could throw them out back. “And which one is the crazy queer one?”

“That would be Ian.” Kevin sighed, gulping down some water. “Frank doesn’t know what the fuck he’s saying.”

“He ain’t queer? Or he ain’t crazy?”

Kevin’s expression hardened and Mickey knew he’d overstepped. They might be friends now but it was clear Kevin had a soft spot the size of Texas for the Gallagher kids. “Don’t talk like that about him. He’s probably had it tougher than most. I don’t want to hear any shit about him being gay.”

“Didn’t say a word!” Mickey held up his hands. 

“Yeah well. I know who your dad is and I know his thoughts on the matter. I just don’t want you thinking that shit will fly in here.”

Mickey was understandably hurt by his friend’s comment. He hadn’t given anyone reason to think he was in any way like Terry. His hurt licked at him until he lashed out. 

“Ay fuck you. I didn’t say shit about it. I don’t give a fuck who anyone bangs.”

Kevin’s face crumpled in sadness. “I know. I’m sorry. This hangover is kicking my ass and I love Ian...”

Mickey inhaled a long, slow breath and took the plunge. Never again would he be presented with such an easy opening to the conversation he knew he needed to have with Kevin. “I mean, it would be pretty hypocritical of me to have a problem with anyone being queer...”

Several thoughts and emotions flickered over Kevin’s confused pouting face. “You mean...you...I mean...are you...”

The regular bar stool warmer, Tommy, decided to help Kevin out. “Gay, Kev. The kid is gay.”

Kevin reeled away in shock. “Shut the front door! No way! Seriously?”

Mickey shrugged and released the last bit of air he’d been holding in his lungs. “I mean, I don’t go to Pride events and I sure don’t wear any fuckin rainbow shit. But yeah. I’m queer as fuck.”

Kevin looked like he was about to melt into a puddle on the floor. “Am I still drunk? Is that what this is? I’m having a tequila hallucination, aren’t I?”

Mickey snorted. “You think of me when the worm bites?”

“Jesus. I’m just surprised, man. You’re married. You’ve got a kid!” 

Mickey shrugged again. He’d confirmed his sexuality out loud twice today and he had to admit, it got easier every time. “I got married because my dad found out and couldn’t risk me being anything but his perfect nazi image. I was basically marched down the aisle at gunpoint.”

“Oh Jesus Christ, Mickey. Fuck! That’s disgusting.”

“Nah, man. My wedding night was the disgusting part.” Mickey forced a laugh to lighten the mood and Kevin joined in nervously. 

Tommy was listening quietly with a sad look on his face and it chewed at Mickey. He hated the thought of people pitying him. 

“Thought I could fake it til I make it or whatever. Turns out my wife was a fuckin bitch who cleaned me out as soon as my dad was locked up. Good fuckin riddance. Long as I got my kid I got all I need.” He added on, in the interests of good storytelling. Every story needed a last chapter. 

Tommy raised his glass. “Cheers to that.”

Kevin’s eyes were shiny with emotion and Mickey rolled his eyes. “Are you gonna cry, Goliath?”

“Maybe. Fuck’s it gotta do with you?” Kevin retorted and order was restored when everyone laughed and got back to work. 

“He’s _what_?”

Vee’s shriek was loud in the almost empty bar that evening so Mickey could pinpoint the exact moment Kevin broke the news in hushed tones out back. He concentrated on snapping the kid into his stroller securely and pretended to be oblivious. 

“You can’t be!” Vee suddenly appeared behind the bar. “I have a date lined up for you!”

Mickey screwed up his face in disgust. “What? No. Who the fuck are you setting me up with?”

“My friend Fiona. She’s beautiful. Funny. Independent. Great with kids.” Vee reeled off the qualities of her best friend in the hope it would make Mickey reconsider his thoughts on the whole being gay thing. 

“Fiona. As in Fiona Gallagher?” Mickey burst out in harsh laughter. 

“Yeah! She’s awesome!”

“She’s also packing the wrong kind of heat. If you know what I mean.”

Vee’s eyes widened in a lightbulb moment. “Ian!”

Mickey was startled when Vee grabbed him by the biceps. “Okay, what is happening here?”

“I’m gonna get you set up with Ian!”

Mickey rolled his eyes and extracted himself from her grip. “Come on Yev. Let’s get you away from the crazy people.”

Kevin may have been hungover but even he picked up on it. “Hey. You called him Yev!”

Mickey smiled and pushed the kid to the door. “Guess I did. See ya.”

There was a package on Mickey’s porch when he arrived home. It looked like sex on a stick and smelled like pizza. 

“No pressure.” Ian got to his feet holding a large box. “I can leave this with you and go.”

Mickey sniffed and nodded at the box. “What kind?”

“Double pepperoni. Obviously.” Ian replied. 

Mickey grinned cheerfully and wondered how he ever did without this guy in his life.

“Hey Yev.” Ian waved at the youngster as he helped Mickey lift the stroller up the steps. 

“Say hi to Ian, kiddo.”

“Dow.”

“Close enough.”

They reached the door and Ian crowded Mickey against it, enough to show intent but not enough to spook him. 

“I mean it, Mick. No pressure.”

Mickey had to crane his neck to look Ian in the eyes. “Get your ass in here.”


	7. Disconnected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey struggles with the intensity of his new romantic situation and needs to find a way to connect with Ian.

“I mean, it’s certainly a different way of sleeping.” Ian folded his arms and tilted his head as he took in the scene. 

Mickey was putting the empty pizza box in the trash and returned to find the kid was sitting upright with his back against his toy box, chin resting on his chest and fast asleep. 

“Man, you got no idea. When his battery runs out it’s just lights out. Doesn’t give a fuck where he is. Head first in his dinner is a particular favorite.”

Ian laughed, seemingly unconcerned about waking him. “I love how babies can sleep through anything.”

“Very fuckin selectively.” Mickey replied and scooped the sleeping child up. “Bedtime, kiddo.”

He quickly ran through the night routine and the kid barely opened his eyes. Mickey wasn’t sure if it was all the fresh air he got when he was with Vee, Amy and Gemma or if she stuck a little something extra in his milk, but he always came home exhausted. It usually meant he would sleep through and give Mickey a chance to feel refreshed. When he got back to the living room he found Ian filling the toy box back up with random objects on the floor. 

“You don’t gotta do that, man.”

Ian smiled and shrugged casually. “I don’t mind. He go down alright?”

“Yup.”

They hovered around each other for a moment before Mickey bolted to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge. Ian took it and gulped some down, watching Mickey move around the kitchen doing meal prep for the kid.

“Come with me.” Ian took Mickey by the hand and led him to the sofa. “Wanna make out for a while?”

Mickey snorted teasingly. “That’s it? That’s how much game you got?”

Ian grinned and pulled Mickey down on top of him. “You want me to play you? Nah. I’m not wasting this opportunity. We came into each other’s lives for a reason.”

“Oh yeah. That fate shit.” Mickey nodded. 

His face was close to Ian’s and he was getting lost in the green of his eyes. He wanted to trace every freckle with his tongue. 

“That fate shit.” Ian repeated with a laugh and brushed Mickey’s loose strand of hair off his forehead. “Yeah. I know I don’t know all your shit. And you definitely don’t know mine. But this feels right.”

“Shut the fuck up and kiss me.”

Mickey heard his own voice making the demand but still couldn’t believe it was him doing it. Ian, thankfully, didn’t question him and pulled him down into a soft, teasing kiss. It was enough to make Mickey’s head spin and he gripped Ian’s shoulders to ground himself to the earth. When Ian flicked his bottom lip with his tongue Mickey opened up immediately and welcomed it, stroking his own tongue along Ian’s. He couldn’t hold back the moan in his throat and Ian started to chuckle into the kiss, pulling away with a huge smile on his face. 

“Tell me this doesn’t feel right.”

Mickey scoffed and rolled his eyes but nodded anyway. “Yeah. It feels right.”

And it did. His first proper kiss and it felt incredible. He’d kissed another man and hadn’t been struck by lightning. At least not in the fatal sense that his father would promote. 

Ian jumped straight back into the kiss even though neither of them had the oxygen supply they needed to last long. When they pulled away again Mickey ran his thumb over Ian’s puffed up bottom lip. He could barely catch his breath. 

“I can’t believe you’re here.” Mickey whispered. 

Ian ran his large hand down Mickey’s back. “I know. It’s surreal.”

Mickey pressed another kiss to Ian’s mouth and then crawled off his lap. Ian adjusted himself in his jeans and Mickey’s eyes flew open wide at the bulge tenting the fabric. 

“Holy fuck. You got socks down there?”

Ian blushed. “Um...no. Guess now is a good time to figure out what we both like...”

“Well I like cold beer and snickerdoodles.” Mickey teased and gulped down some beer. 

“Hey, me too!”

Mickey flashed him a nervous but excited smile. “I’m also pretty sure I’m gonna like it when you show me what you can do with that thing.”

“Yeah?” Ian looked surprised, smiling widely. 

“Yup.” Mickey nodded. “If you think you know how to use it.”

Ian laughed musically and jumped on Mickey, pushing him back and devouring him with another kiss. “I am gonna _wreck_ you.”

Mickey sucked on a patch of skin under Ian’s ear. “Promises, promises.”

When it felt like Mickey was going to burst out of the confines of his own jeans a few moments later, Ian gently pulled back from Mickey and sat up. 

“I should head off. It’s getting late.”

Mickey’s heart dropped. “Uh. Right.”

Ian suddenly scooped him up again and twisted their bodies into a weird hug/kiss position. “It’s not that I don’t want to stay. I’d love nothing more than to stay all night...God I want to...”

“Well not really if you’re talking yourself out of it.” Mickey noted dryly. 

“I’m serious. I want you, Mick. But this is too much for tonight. You gotta think this through first...”

Mickey felt the gut punch of being pitied and he knew Ian was referring to his complicated situation. He hated that more than anything and before he could stop himself he’d already shoved Ian away from him and stood up. “What’s to think about? You either wanna fuck or you don’t.”

Ian sighed and rose to his feet. “That’s the thing, Mickey. I don’t wanna fuck.”

“Problem solved. Door’s over there.” Mickey snapped, his embarrassment warming his entire body. His walls came back up and he folded his arms like a barrier to the world. 

Ian shoved his feet into his boots with a heavy exhale of breath. “I don’t wanna fuck. I’ve spent the last year of my life getting my shit together because since I was fifteen all I did was fuck around with the wrong guys. Now I’m in a good place and I’m happy and I thought we wanted the same things. Something more than just a fuck. I’m sorry if I got that wrong.”

Mickey watched in horror as Ian threw on his coat and headed to the door. “Ian, wait...”

“I’m so dumb. I thought you came along because I was finally ready to stop messing up my life and be with the right guy. But you’re just like them. You just want me to nail you into the mattress and then fuck off. And I’m still me, fucking around with married men and convicts.” Ian barked a disbelieving laugh. 

“Ian...”

“I wasn’t asking for your hand in marriage or anything. I just wanted you to know there’s no rush. I wanted to get this right. But if it’s just a fuck buddy you want then I’m not the guy for the job. You’re a couple years too late for that.”

The door opened and the cold air flooded into the house. Mickey followed Ian when he left the house and skipped down the steps to the sidewalk. 

“Ian, Jesus Christ, will you let me talk?”

Ian was already on the move, throwing a wave over his shoulder and pulling up his hood. Mickey closed the door and rested his forehead against the wood. 

“Fucking idiot.”

The kid obviously agreed, because he chose that moment to wake up screaming at the top of his lungs. 

Mickey didn’t know how to deal with the mess he’d found himself in. He’d never dated before. There’d been no boundaries he’d learned in the past. Of course he knew couples argued but then he was hardly one half of a couple after only knowing Ian for a hot minute. He wanted to reach out to Ian and explain himself but he didn’t even know what that meant. Explain what? That his fear of rejection and abandonment had him ready to bail at any second? Then there’s Ian’s obvious issues to take into account. Ian had his own load of emotional suitcases to pull along behind him that they hadn’t begun to unpack yet. Yet the idea of letting it all go and retreating back into his self-imposed fortress was not very appealing either. 

After a restless night with a restless baby, Mickey had to head to his shift at the bar. Kevin clocked his miserable face before the door was even closed. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“You need to tell your face that.”

“Fuck off.”

“Very unprofessional, Mickey.”

“Fuck. Off.”

The bar was empty so Mickey got to work on unloading the dishwasher while Kevin restocked the bar snacks. 

“Seriously, dude, I’m gonna have to start charging for breakages. What’s up?”

Mickey slammed the door shut on the machine and leaned against it, arms folded over his chest.

“I think I messed up. With a guy.”

Kevin's mouth fell open and it was clear he wasn’t expecting Mickey to spill any kind of beans. “Okay. Tell me about it...”

“We’ve been talking for a while. Just on the phone. Couple of texts. But then we met up. And that’s when I messed up.”

Kevin nodded and rolled his hand. “And how might that be?”

“At first it was great. We went out for breakfast. I took the kid. They loved each other. We both went to work and when I got home he was there waiting for me with a pizza. He came in, we ate, we fooled around.”

When he trailed off Kevin squinted his eyes. “I gotta say, Mick. I’ve never dated a guy but so far I’m thinking this sounds like a pretty awesome thing you’ve got going on.”

“Until I messed up.” Mickey shrugged. “I thought we were headed to the bedroom, he wasn’t interested. Wanted me to think about what we were about to do. Make sure I wanted it...”

“Sounds like a stand up guy.” 

Mickey tipped his head back and groaned. “I know. He is. He really is. But I did that thing that I do when I lash out when people pity me. I told him if he didn’t wanna fuck then he could leave.”

Kevin gasped. “No!”

“Yeah. I’m a fucked up idiot.”

“Mickey, dude! What the fuck?”

“I know, I know! He starts telling me that he spent too many years fucking around with the wrong guys and he wanted me to be different. I felt like shit.”

“Did you talk to him?”

Mickey shook his head. “He was already storming off and he’s got really long legs...”

Kevin let out a bark of soft laughter. “Oh you are such a dick.”

Mickey rubbed his eyes tiredly. He was running on about three hours sleep and it was showing. 

“Look, man. Take a break. Grab a booth, call him, take a nap maybe. I’ll give you a nudge if we get busy.” Kevin pointed to the far wall of the empty bar. 

“I can’t afford to take a break...”

“I’m not gonna dock your pay, dumbass. Go!”

Mickey stared at his phone with the picture of the kid as his screensaver and debated what to do. In the end it was his need to act like an adult that decided for him. He rang Ian’s number and listened to it ring a dozen times before it cut out and went to voicemail. It was Ian’s own voice that relayed the message. 

“ _Ian’s busy, leave a message and he’ll get back to you. Maybe_.”

Mickey hung up and stared at his phone again. A second into his silent contemplation a message came through. 

“ _At work. Can’t talk._ ”

Mickey’s stomach swooped with the coolness in the message. He wanted to text back but it wasn’t enough. 

**********

_“Welcome to Orion Utilities, you’re through to Max. Can I take your account number please?”_

_“Hey. I need to speak to Ian Gallagher. Please.”_

_“Let me see if he’s tied up on a call...Nope his line is free. I’ll transfer you through.”_

_“Thanks.”_

**********

Mickey chewed on his bottom lip while he waited and all too soon for him to be prepared, Ian’s voice was greeting who he thought was a generic customer. 

“Hey. It’s me.”

“Mickey?”

“Yeah. I didn’t know how else to speak to you.”

Ian laughed in disbelief. “Wait until I get off work?”

“Needed to do it now. Needed to apologize.”

Ian huffed loudly. “For what?”

“Being stupid. Letting you believe I only wanted one thing. I don’t, by the way. I’m just a fucking moron who can’t use his words.”

“I dunno. I think you’re doing well enough right now.” Ian chuckled. 

Mickey exhaled and pinched the tension in the bridge of his nose. “I feel like a clueless teenager. I have no idea what I’m doing but the very last thing I want to do is upset you.”

Ian hummed down the line. “How about I finish this shift and then we talk? I got some apologizing of my own to do.”

“I’m at work until ten.”

“I’m off at nine. Can I come by the bar?”

Mickey glanced up and saw Kevin smiling at him like a proud father from behind the bar. 

“Of course. I got nothing to hide.”

“Okay.” Ian murmured. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye Ian.”

They did their customary hesitation before ending the call and Ian quietly laughed. 

“Thanks for calling, Mickey.”

Kevin let Mickey nap curled up in a booth until three hours into his shift. He woke him when the evening rush started and the next time Mickey looked up it was almost nine thirty and the voice ordering a beer was very familiar. 

“You came.”

Ian’s answering grin was bright enough to light the room. “Course I did.”

Mickey was weak with relief. “I’m glad.”

Ian leaned his elbows on the bar. “I know we gotta talk. Get some shit out in the open. But I really wanna fuckin kiss you right now.”

Mickey glanced around the busy bar and made a snap decision. He had nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of. With a shy, teasing grin and pushed himself up on his toes and bent over the bar, grabbing the back of Ian’s head in his hand and landing a kiss on his mouth. Ian gasped into it and allowed himself to be thoroughly kissed. They only pulled apart when a loud crashing noise startled them. Mickey looked over his shoulder to see Kevin watching them in utter shock with a broken pint glass at his feet. 

“You know, we’re gonna have to start charging for breakages.” Mickey teased. 


	8. Learning the Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey learns that he gets to set his own relationship rules with Ian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 🚨 So my smutty brain went into overdrive with this chapter - hence the rating change. 🚨
> 
> Sorry not sorry. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Ian told Mickey he’d wait to finish his shift in the comfort of a booth at the back of the room. He didn’t have long to wait until Vee was bustling in the bar with one child on her hip and the other two in a twin stroller. Mickey beamed happily when his son instantly squealed and reached for him. It was way past his bedtime but it was the only shift he worked where Vee kept him up. Mickey took the wriggling baby and kissed him all over his face. 

“Hey sunshine. Have you had a good day with Aunt Vee?”

He caught Ian’s eye as he approached the counter and smiled. Before a word was even out of his mouth, Vee was gasping with excitement. 

“Ooh I have to introduce you guys!”

Kevin was behind the bar holding Amy. “Actually...” he piped up but Mickey stopped him with a subtle shake of his head and a wink. 

Vee carried on and grabbed Ian by the hand to drag him closer. “Honey, this is Mickey. And this is his precious baby boy. Mick, this is Ian.”

“Hey.” Mickey greeted casually, completely emotionless. 

Ian extended his hand. “Good to meet you.”

Vee pushed on with her master plan and ten minutes later Mickey was being propelled out of the bar with Ian tasked by Vee to walk him home. Vee also announced that the girls wanted the kid over for a sleepover that weekend so he had a night to himself. Wink wink. Mickey didn’t argue that the girls didn’t know enough words to ask for a sleepover and headed home with Ian by his side. 

“That was fuckin hilarious.” Ian chuckled. “She thinks she’s set us up.”

“Throwing her a bone, man. She was all set on matching me up with your sister.” Mickey shuddered. 

Ian’s face twisted in disgust. “Eew! Which one?”

“Fiona.” Mickey answered. “But eew applies to both. No offense.”

“None taken.” Ian laughed lightly. “Only hope you’re not just throwing Vee a bone tonight...”

Mickey groaned loudly. “I have zero experience with flirting but even I know that is lame as all fuck.”

Ian giggled and slung his arm around Mickey’s neck, pulling him into his solid chest. The kid watched them from the safety of Mickey’s arms with wide eyes. Mickey tilted his head back and allowed Ian to kiss him gently. 

“I’m really sorry for bailing last night. I should’ve stayed to explain.” Ian murmured sadly. 

Mickey sighed and shook his head. “I should’ve realized it wasn’t all about me. I lash out when I’m not in control. I gotta be better.”

Ian cupped Mickey’s cheek and he found himself leaning into his hand. “It’s just important to me that we both know this is more than fooling around. I want you. In every way. But it has to be _every_ way...”

“I’ve never done this before. I’m married with a kid and I’ve never done this dating stuff before. I don’t know the rules. Am I moving too fast, too slow? I just know I like you a lot...”

Ian pressed a kiss to Mickey’s lips. “That’s a good starting point.”

“Dada dada dad.”

Mickey grinned at his son. “I know, kiddo. Bedtime. Don’t think you’ve escaped bath time. Tomorrow morning we’re gonna unstinky you.”

The kid was asleep as soon as Mickey lay him on the changing mat, which made the diaper change a much easier experience than he was used to. Ian was in the kitchen making up some bottles of milk to store in the fridge and was humming a tune to himself. It was bizarrely and beautifully domestic. Mickey had butterflies. When the kid was tucked in and dreaming of penguins, Mickey headed out to find Ian had made them some hot chocolate and was sitting on the couch waiting for him. 

“I could get used to this treatment.” Mickey joked and stripped out of his hoodie, leaving him in a well-worn tank that used to be red but was now more pink. 

“So you should. You deserve it. Looking after a baby on your own is the hardest job in the world.”

Mickey felt himself blush and looked away. “Doing what I gotta do. I’m his dad.”

Ian scoffed under his breath. “When has that ever meant anything to the good folks of the Southside? Face it, you’re a good man.”

Mickey chuckled softly. “If you say so.”

“I do.” Ian leaned in closer and waited for Mickey to respond. He mirrored Ian’s movement and tentatively kissed him. They slowly, carefully teased each other until Mickey took control and licked along Ian’s bottom lip, silently begging for entry. Ian opened up immediately and they settled into a slow but passionate kiss. 

“You’re the most beautiful guy I ever met.” Ian whispered longingly and trailed his mouth over Mickey’s jaw and down his neck. He sucked on the skin there and Mickey gasped out loud. 

“Fuck, Ian.”

“Can. If you want.”

Mickey grabbed Ian’s head and kissed him again, teeth clashing with the clumsy intensity. “You don’t wanna talk first?”

Ian disconnected their lips and smiled shyly. “I wanna talk. But if you’re still gonna wanna know me tomorrow after we fuck then I can wait until then.”

“Of course I will.” Mickey laughed in disbelief. 

“Okay. Take me to bed.” Ian grinned. 

The kid was still in the land of nod when Mickey checked on him. He wondered briefly about the moral stance on having a guy stay over and fucking in the next room to your kid, but quickly pushed that aside. If parents didn’t fuck with kids in the house there’d be very few families with more than one child. Mickey found Ian in his bedroom, stripped to his plaid boxers, tossing an unopened box of condoms in the air and catching them over and over. 

“Boy Scout, huh?” Mickey grinned and stripped to his own underwear - embarrassingly, Batman patterned. 

Ian was the bigger man in more ways than one and tactfully didn’t mock him for his choice of underwear. “I’m not exactly standard size...”

Mickey’s eyes widened at the implication and smiled nervously. Ian patted the bed beside him like it was his room and Mickey crawled up into the space. Only the bedside lamp lit the room and it was making Ian’s hair glow like fire. His pale chest was lightly dusted in soft, red hair and ran into a trail under his navel. A tattoo of an eagle on a rifle covered part of his right side. Every inch of his body was lean muscle with little to no body fat. Mickey’s mouth was watering at the vision in front of him. He didn’t know if he should be shy about his own body. He sure as hell didn’t look like an Under Armour model like Ian did. He was pale too, very little body hair and a slight softness around his stomach and hips. But the way Ian was pretty much drooling as he looked at him certainly made him feel better about himself. 

“Just so we’re clear...what do you want here?” 

Mickey tilted his head and considered Ian’s question. “Your dick. My ass.”

“Okay,” Ian grinned. “Have you done that before?”

“Ian. I haven’t even seen your dick before, let alone had it in my ass.”

Ian’s laugh came out in a huff and he ran his hand over the curve of Mickey’s ass. “I’m serious. This isn’t virgin territory?”

Mickey shook his head and looked into the corner of the room so he didn’t have to make eye contact with Ian. “Not a virgin. Just not done the romance part before.”

Ian grinned wolfishly and pounced on Mickey, pushing him back into the pillows and straddling his middle. “Allow me to change that.”

Mickey was in awe of Ian’s gentle confidence in the face of such a vulnerable situation. His hands tangled in Ian’s fiery hair as he kissed and sucked all over Mickey’s chest. When he took a nipple into his mouth, Ian looked up at Mickey with wide eyes and watched him carefully. It was an instant reaction and Mickey hissed through his teeth. 

“Ian. Fuck.”

Ian scraped his blunt nails down Mickey’s sides and hooked his fingers in the waistband of his boxers. Slowly, so slowly, Ian pulled them down and Mickey was left gasping for breath when the cool air hit his most heated body part. 

“Oh wow.” Ian exhaled, eyes fixed on Mickey’s erection. “That’s fuckin gorgeous.”

The appendage in question twitched against Mickey’s stomach and Ian followed it, capturing the head between his lips. Mickey whimpered and threaded his fingers in Ian’s hair again, guiding him carefully into only the second blowie he’d ever received from a guy. The first one was not something Mickey wanted to think about so he forced it out of his mind and concentrated on the utterly spectacular thing Ian was doing with his tongue to the underside of his dick. 

“Ian, I’m getting kinda close.” He warned when the tingle at the bottom of his spine started firing warning signs to his balls. 

“Want you to come.”

The vibrations of Ian’s words on his dick meant that Mickey no longer had a choice in the matter. He was coming regardless. He gave Ian a warning tug on his hair but the other man wasn’t interested in pulling off. Instead, he tightened his lips around the tip and flicked with his tongue until Mickey couldn’t hold on any longer. Ian’s groan filled the quiet room when Mickey let go and released an impressive load in his mouth. 

“Wow. That was a lot.” Ian gasped for air and Mickey blushed, covering his eyes with his arm. 

“It’s been a while.”

Ian giggled happily and blew on Mickey’s dick, the cool breeze making it twitch again. “He’s eager to go again.”

Mickey uncovered his eyes and glanced down. “He’s never had so much attention.”

Ian lifted himself on his hands and pecked kisses up Mickey’s body until he was looking into his eyes. “How do you feel about rimming?”

Mickey’s face was on fire. There was no other explanation for the heat he was feeling. 

“I...uh..um...full disclosure?”

“Always.” Ian nodded. 

“Rimming virgin here.” Mickey raised his hand in confession. 

Ian’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Oh amazing. This is gonna be fun!”

He clocked Mickey’s nervous face and immediately reached out to squeeze his arm. “I will be the one doing the rimming.”

“Oh! Okay..” Mickey was literally combusting. “I mean, right. Okay. This time.”

“Yeah. This time.” Ian grinned cheerfully and headed back down south, gripping Mickey’s thighs and moving him into position. 

“You sure about this?” Mickey whispered. 

“Never been more sure in my life.” Ian replied. 

When Mickey fell silent Ian got started. 

“Jesus!” Mickey hissed when the warm, damp pressure became noticeable. “Fuck!”

“Good fuck or bad fuck?” Ian pulled away to check. 

“Good. Keep going.” 

Ian got back to work and Mickey was writhing around on the bed in a matter of seconds. His previously flaccid member was now doing a valiant about turn and he was full mast again before Mickey even knew what was happening. 

“Good?” Ian spoke without pulling back so Mickey not only heard but _felt_ the words. 

“So fucking good.”

“Gonna add some fingers. Pass me the lube.”

Mickey grabbed the tube from the nightstand that he didn’t even know Ian had placed there and handed it off to the man with his tongue in a place that Mickey didn’t know felt so good. He heard the click and swoosh sound of the lube before he felt a sudden cold snap against his heated flesh. 

“Woohah.” He exhaled all at once. “Fuck!”

“Tell me to stop if it’s too much.”

Ian’s voice was soft yet reassuring. Mickey tried to relax into the moment and whimpered when he felt Ian’s probing fingers. 

“Still good?” Ian checked, ever so slightly moving his digits in a scissor movement. 

“This is...I’ve never...how is this...oh my god!” Mickey panted. 

In all honesty, he’d fucked around with plenty of anonymous guys in the last few years. He’d taken dicks up the ass and come away feeling like a slight burn and the discomfort when sitting was the full amount of pleasure he should expect from the transaction. He had never, not once, in all the time he’d cruised for sex ever felt like this. So relaxed, so open, so cared for and so in control. Because, for all Ian was topping and had three fingers of his right hand so far inside Mickey they were in danger of being categorized as conjoined, Mickey knew he just had to _whisper_ the word stop and it would all be over for the day. 

“You are so fucking perfect, Mick. You feel so good. This is a fucking dream come true.” Ian mumbled as he worked him open. 

“I can’t...I need more...”

Ian removed his fingers and reached for a condom, rolling it down his shaft with practised ease and then adding a reassuring amount of lube. 

“You okay in this position?” Ian checked. 

Mickey quirked an eyebrow. “Sure.”

Ian grinned and lined up. “Okay. We’ll start like this...just tell me to stop if you need to.”

Mickey couldn’t describe the feeling of being connected to Ian like this if you gave him a thesaurus and a week to think about it. It was everything he never knew he could feel. Physically, it was the most comfortable he’d ever been. Shoving anything up there was never going to be without some level of discomfort but right now he couldn’t feel anything beyond that perfect burn. That’s how he knew Ian had done his job right and made sure he was ready for the main event. It sent a momentary flash of anger through his soul that the guys he’d hooked up with before had never cared enough to do just a cursory job of prepping him before they took what they wanted. It summed up his entire sexual experience and left a bitter taste in his mouth. He pushed those thoughts aside, not wanting to be anything other than in the moment when Ian was about to bottom out. 

“Feel okay?”

That was the other thing Mickey was finding strange. Ian’s constant need to check how he was doing. Like it mattered to him. Like Mickey’s pleasure was intrinsically linked to his own. That was new. While this was a physically new and wonderful thing for Mickey, it was also a spiritual experience too. Ian was taking him to new heights and he wasn’t sure how he’d ever go back to his normal day to day loneliness when it was over. 

“Mickey?” Ian pressed for an answer. 

“Good. Fucking perfect actually.”

Ian kissed his chin. “Good. Tell me when I can move.”

Mickey took a deep breath, filling his lungs with air that he knew was about to be knocked out of him. “I’m good.”

“I’m all the way in. Holy fucking shit, Mickey. You feel incredible.”

Mickey tentatively rolled his hips and changed the angle so his prostate was _just_ brushed. It sent sparks through his entire body. Ian sensed the change and leaned back on his heels so he could follow Mickey’s unspoken direction. 

“Jesus!” Mickey turned his head into the pillow and shrieked when Ian found what he was looking for. “Fuck!”

Once the target had been hit once, Ian clearly needed no help finding it again. With measured, forceful thrusts he turned Mickey out. When he was almost completely undone, Ian wrapped his large hand around Mickey’s leaking dick. 

“Come for me, baby. Let me see you shoot.”

It was an invitation Mickey couldn’t pass up. His entire body clenched like he was bracing for impact and then suddenly he gave a muted shout. A groan ripped out of Ian’s throat as he too started to come. 

“Mick, baby, fuck fuck fuuuuuck.” Ian filled the room with quiet cries of blissful climax just as Mickey finished painting his own stomach in hot, liquid white. 

Mickey lay flat on his back and panted for breath. It felt like he’d been turned inside out. He barely felt it when Ian pulled out for the last time, watching him in a haze as he tied off the used condom and dropped it on the floor where his boxers lay. Ian immediately grabbed Mickey’s discarded underwear and used them to clean him up. It was a tender and loving gesture. All Mickey could do was reach out and stroke his fingers through Ian’s hair. 

“So...” Ian whispered, slumping on the bed next to Mickey. “Don’t know about you but I have never felt anything like that in my life.”

Mickey couldn’t hold back the chuckle that bubbled up in his chest. “Meh. It was okay.”

Ian gasped and prodded him in the ribs. “I give my best moves. My heart and soul. And it’s _okay_?”

Mickey captured his prodding hand and pulled it to his lips. “It was perfect.”

Ian yawned and smiled adorably. “You want me to head out? Let you sleep?”

“I want you to stay.” 

The words hung in the air and Mickey almost wanted to take them back. Stuff them back in his mouth until he choked on them. Was he moving too fast? But Ian had said he wanted him in every way. That wasn’t just for sex. God this was a nightmare. How did anyone get anything done when their head was filled with all this shit?

“I don’t know the rules..you know, like the etiquette for what this is...” he blurted out rapidly. 

Ian chuckled and pulled him into a soft kiss. “I don’t give a fuck about any rules. Our rules should be that we say whatever is on our minds and we do what makes us happy.”

Mickey licked his lips. “Sounds good.”

Ian reached down and pulled the sheets up and over them. “So I’m gonna stay.”

“Okay.” Mickey exhaled and allowed himself to relax. His muscles were aching from the sexual gymnastics he’d just performed but it was his brain that was most tired. Thinking about every detail had exhausted him. But now he felt at peace with it all. Ian was here, in his arms and in his bed, and it didn’t freak him out like he thought it would. His eyes closed and he joined Ian in sleep, dreaming about penguins and banana pancakes. 


	9. It’s Good To Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Milestones are reached and secrets are revealed.

Mickey woke up to the sound of giggling and the feeling of butterfly kisses up his back. His head was buried under a pillow but his bare torso was exposed and someone, Ian hopefully, was kissing each notch of his spine. The giggling got louder and Ian’s voice filtered through. 

“Go ahead, Yev. Tell daddy it’s time to wake up.”

“DADUP!”

Mickey wasn’t even embarrassed about the smile on his face. He turned on his side and found his son gazing at him with wide blue eyes from where he sat on the bed next to Ian. 

“I hope you don’t mind. I heard him stirring so I brought him in here.”

Mickey held out his arms and the kid launched across the bed, squealing with delight when Mickey held him in the air in a Superman pose while he blew raspberries on his stomach. “It’s fine. Thank you. I’m not usually such a heavy sleeper.”

Ian grinned and flopped down beside him, pecking a kiss to Mickey’s bare shoulder. “Guess I wore you out, hm?”

“Don’t talk dirty in front of the baby.” 

“Shit.”

“And don’t swear in front of the baby!”

“Fuck!”

“Ian!”

“I’m so sorry! Oh my god!”

Mickey burst into amused laughter at Ian’s bumbling apology. “Relax. I’m fucking with you. He hasn’t got a clue yet.”

Ian reached up and grabbed the kid’s hand, waving it wildly. “Your Daddy is so mean. So mean to me.”

“Een.”

Mickey lowered the kid to rest on his stomach and turned to Ian with an amazed expression. Ian laughed joyously. 

“I know he was saying mean, but that’s so cool. I’m totally taking that as him saying my name.” Ian told Mickey. 

Mickey ran his fingers through the kid's hair and grinned. “Can you say that again? Ian.”

“Een.”

“Yay! This is Ian.” Mickey pointed to the redhead. 

“Dada.”

“No, I’m Dada.” Mickey pointed to himself. “Dada. Ian. Yev.”

The baby looked around the room and yelled out something that didn’t sound like a real word. Ian leaned up and kissed Mickey on the lips. 

“I gotta head to work.”

“Got time for breakfast?”

He shook his head regretfully. “Not this time.”

“Gonna be a next time?” Mickey asked, almost nervously.

“An apocalypse couldn’t keep me away.”

Vee was waiting for Mickey at the bar when he started his shift in the middle of the afternoon. Thankfully the kid had played ball and taken a nap after breakfast so Mickey could make up for the lost sleep.

“You look like shit.” Vee commented when she saw him.

“And you look as beautiful as ever.” He replied with a fake smile. “Yev, you have my permission to make today as long and as painful as you can for Aunt Vee.”

“Listen, if I can deal with Gemma I can deal with whatever this guy throws at me. That girl is part-banshee.” Vee smiled sweetly. “I kinda miss you calling him Sunshine.”

Mickey shrugged and set the kid on the edge of the bar, feet dangling over the side while Mickey fixed his coat buttons. “He’s got to learn it sometime. It’s not like I can change it.”

“I guess not. You do realize he’s covered you in whatever the hell he’s been eating. What is that?”

Mickey glanced down at his white tank under the grey plaid shirt and scowled at his son, who was in the middle of a stunning rendition of the Spongebob theme tune. “Yev…what the hell? You’re supposed to eat the blueberries, not paint me with them.”

Kevin came out from the back and found himself with an armful of baby. “Hey!”

Mickey shrugged out of his shirt and pulled the tank over his head. Vee grabbed his arm before he could put the shirt back on and button it up.

“Whoa there! Nice hickeys. Your whole chest is covered!”

Mickey’s pale skin went pink immediately and he quickly dressed again. Vee was not letting it go.

“How did you get those?”

“You need me to tell you that and you got big problems, lady.”

Kevin covered his smirking face by lifting Yev in the air in front of him. Mickey sniffed and pulled the baby into his arms and planted a kiss on his face. “See you later, sunshine.”

“Een.” Yev chirped. “Een!”

You could hear a pin drop in the bar. Tommy was on the closest bar stool and filled the silence with raucous laughter.

Vee covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh that’s just _precious_! Ian did that to you? Damn, boy! All I said was walk you home and set up a date…you went all in huh.”

“Een.” Yev repeated.

“Traitor.” Mickey mock-glared at his son. “Snitches get stitches.”

Vee continued to giggle at Mickey’s expense so he handed over the kid. “Alright, Patti Stanger, on your way. I got work to do.”

She packed up the stroller with all the kids, still snickering. “So you acknowledge my awesome matchmaking skills?”

Kevin coughed and shook his head at Mickey, who scowled back at his boss. “Actually, honey, Mickey and Ian were already a sort-of-maybe-kinda item for a while.”

“What? Since when?”

“Since none of your business. I’ll pick him up from your place tonight.”

Mickey headed behind the bar and out back to bring in the delivery, the sound of Vee’s protests about being kept in the dark fading as he got outside. He checked his phone quickly and found a message from Ian.

“ _Free tonight?_ ”

“ _Free every night. What you got in mind?_ ”

“ _Getting through the box of condoms I left in your nightstand_.”

“ _A man with a plan. I approve. I get off at 8._ ”

“ _Come by the bar? You’ll be getting off again by 9._ ”

Mickey laughed out loud at Ian’s attempts at flirty banter. He was so self-assured and confident. It was infectious.

“ _Picking Yev up from Vee’s after work_.”

“ _I could pick him up? Bring him to you_.”

“ _That okay?_ ”

“ _Sure! See you later x_.”

Mickey’s heart was racing at the thought of Ian taking care of his son. He was instantly comfortable with the arrangement and he didn’t know what that meant. Logically, it made sense. Mickey lived closer to the bar than he did Vee’s house. It would save at least a half hour of travel if Ian brought the kid to the bar when Mickey finished work. But none of that would matter if Mickey didn’t want his son left alone with Ian. It felt symbolic that Mickey completely trusted Ian with the little traitor. He slipped his phone back in his pocket and got on with the task in hand, which was more difficult than usual since his mind was firmly fixed on the box of condoms in his nightstand.

Vee had responded to his message about Ian picking up the kid with a full suite of emojis. There was everything from hearts and winking faces to eggplants and water droplets. He sent back the middle finger emoji and got back to work. The bar was busy and Kevin was brainstorming ideas for Valentine’s Day themes while they served drinks together. He didn’t seem to notice that Mickey was providing zero input and he was the one coming up with all the ideas.

“What are you doing for it?” Kevin asked him.

Mickey looked at him like he was crazy. “Same as always. Nothing.”

“Even now you’ve got a boyfriend?”

That knocked the wind out of Mickey’s sails. He had a boyfriend now? Is that what Ian was? Was he now somebody’s boyfriend? Oh holy hell this was complicated.

“We haven’t done the label thing yet.”

Kevin snorted and opened the cash register. “So you’re just banging?”

“Jesus, Kevin!” Mickey hissed, looking around to see who had heard.

Kermit and Tommy were on their usual stools and grinning at Mickey like he was an idiot. He flipped them off and glared.

“One day you’re gonna sprain that finger, you use it so much.” Tommy taunted him.

“You wanna talk about how I use my fingers?” Mickey challenged, his eyes wide and brows high.

Tommy raised his hands in defeat and Mickey turned back to Kevin.

“The fuck you saying? He’s gonna expect me to do something for some shitty Hallmark holiday?”

Kevin gave a wide shrug. “I’m saying maybe it would be nice if you brought a little romance to your…relationship? Is that what we’re allowed to call it?”

Mickey rolled his eyes and checked his watch. Ian would be arriving with the kid very soon and now he had even more to think about. Labels. Romance. Valentine’s Day. Somehow it was easier to just have a box of condoms on his mind.

As if summoned, Ian entered the bar with the kid on his hip. They were having an animated conversation that ended when the kid spotted Mickey and shrieked for him.

“Dada!”

Mickey took him from Ian, who didn’t move away. They stood close together with Yev between them and just smiled goofily.

“Well this is very domestic.” Kevin noted from the other side of the bar. “Go ahead, if you wanna kiss him…”

Mickey glared daggers at Kevin but Ian just laughed and pecked Mickey’s cheek.

“Stop teasing him.” Ian told Kevin with a smirk. “That’s my job.”

Back at Mickey’s place Yev was not keen on going to bed immediately. If Mickey didn’t know better he would believe he was being deliberately cock blocked by his son. He sat on the living room floor with Ian while the kid played with his dumper truck and sighed loudly. 

“All in good time.” Ian grinned at Mickey’s impatience. 

“Dada.” Yev used Mickey’s shirt to pull himself to his feet. “Dad.”

“That’s me, sunshine. Like it or not.”

“Een.”

Yev reeled away and was suddenly lurching towards Ian, arms in the air and grinning madly. 

“Holy shit he’s walking!”

It was only a couple of feet away but he made it safely and Ian scooped him up. Mickey stared with wide eyes at the scene and Ian laughed happily. 

“Good boy, Yev! That was awesome!”

Mickey was completely gobsmacked. “That’s the first time he ever did that.”

Ian set Yev down on his feet facing Mickey, who held his arms out. “Go walk to Daddy.”

Yev contemplated the request for a second and then took off, part-walking and part-staggering across the floor and into Mickey’s waiting arms. He hugged the child to his chest and inexplicably welled up with tears. 

“Well done, sunshine.” He kissed his head. 

Ian grabbed his phone and brought Yev back to his spot on the floor. With the camera set to video he urged Yev to walk to Mickey again. The kid looked like he was getting bored with the whole thing now but was very magnanimous with his time. Ian recorded him toddling to Mickey, who by now was struggling to stem the flow of tears. He expected to be embarrassed about crying in front of Ian. Old Mickey would have been mortified. But this version of himself didn’t give a shit and it was liberating to have that realization. Maybe it was because he’d accepted that his son would always be number one. Maybe it was because he felt like he could do anything in Ian’s presence and wouldn’t be judged for it. Whatever, whichever, he didn’t care. And it felt amazing. 

It was nearly midnight when Mickey crawled into bed beside Ian. 

“I am exhausted.”

“You officially have a toddler. It’s downhill from here in the exhaustion stakes.” Ian joked. 

Mickey groaned. “He’s gonna be hell on wheels, isn’t he?”

“Yup. But he’ll be damn cute with it.”

Mickey rolled onto his side so he was nose to nose with Ian. “Thank you. For tonight. It’s kinda more important to me than I first thought that you and the kid are good with each other.”

“Of course it’s important.” Ian agreed. “But he’s a great kid, so it’s easy to be good with him.”

“Yeah.” Mickey agreed. “Thing is though, raising him is my life. For the long term. It means living life fast and easy is over for me. I don’t want it to be that way for you.”

Ian moved back and looked at Mickey’s whole face. “What does that mean?”

“It means that, even though I really like you and I like what we’ve got going, I don’t want you to be burdened with this life. I can’t go out to clubs and bars. I can’t smoke weed and get drunk every night...”

“Neither can I.” Ian replied simply. 

“But you should. If that’s what you want.”

Ian snorted and shook his head. “No, Mickey. I _can’t_ do those things...”

“But...”

“I’m bipolar, Mickey.” Ian blurted out. 

Mickey stopped talking and his brain started whirring. What the fuck did that mean? His confusion must’ve shown because Ian sighed heavily and looked pained. 

“This wasn’t how I planned on telling you this but I guess it’s a good a time as any. I can’t drink and I can’t do drugs because I’m on some pretty hardcore meds already. Booze and weed and all that stuff fucks me up and I’m finally stable, so I don’t want to risk messing that up.”

“What’s it mean, bipolar?” Mickey whispered. 

Ian closed his eyes and swallowed hard. “It’s a mental illness. Manic episodes and depressive episodes. One day I could be walking ten feet in the air and waxing poetic about the smell of roses. The next I won’t be able to get out of bed. It’s a fucking nightmare, if I’m honest.”

“Yeah...”

“I was diagnosed a few years ago. For a long time I didn’t think it was a problem. I loved the way it felt when I was manic. I could take on the fucking world. Why would I want to stifle that? Because that’s what the meds do. They dull everything until it’s all just grey.” His smile was cold and twisted. “But then I would end up in bed for weeks at a time. Not eating, so I’d lose a shit load of weight. Pissing the bed because I didn’t have the energy to move. Looking back, I feel humiliated.”

“But you got stable...”

Ian nodded, his eyes opening and shining in the dim light. “Yeah. I went to therapy. Went through some trial and error regimens with the meds until I found a combo that means I can still _feel_ things. My dick can still get hard. I don’t hate myself. I don’t make terrible decisions.”

Mickey laughed. “Oh I don’t know...you chose me.”

Ian sniffled and cupped Mickey’s cheek with his large hand. “When I said that I thought you came along because I was ready to be with the right guy...that wasn’t bullshit, Mick. I meant every word. Meeting you. Talking to you. It felt right. And I think it’s because I get to be myself with you. I get to have quiet nights in with no expectation that I gotta be out shaking my tail every weekend. You and your life fits perfectly with me and mine. You make me feel free, Mickey.”

Mickey’s eyes filled up with tears again and he huffed a laugh. “I swear I never cried in my life until three months ago. Then it’s non-stop waterworks.”

“You never need to hide that from me.” Ian promised. 

“The meds, being stable...that’s forever?” Mickey asked softly. 

Ian hesitated before he smiled shyly. “Can’t pretend I’m never gonna have bad days. The meds sometimes need to be tweaked. But being stable like this means I have a better chance of spotting when it’s happening. I can go to see my therapist and my doctor can change my dose.”

Mickey nodded, feeling relieved that Ian had a positive outlook. “Makes sense.”

Ian leaned closer and rested his head on Mickey’s. “It’s a lot to take in. A lot to expect you to take on...”

“What, like taking on a baby isn't?” Mickey retorted. 

Ian laughed and his breath on Mickey’s face felt warm. “I guess...”

Mickey tilted his face and kissed Ian softly on the lips. “How about we just see how it goes. Talk about shit when it happens. You talk me through what I’d need to do on a bad day. Maybe we can figure it all out together.”

A tear slipped freely down Ian’s cheek and Mickey kissed it away. The redhead was smiling though, so Mickey didn’t panic. 

“I think that sounds amazing.”

Mickey kissed him again. It was tender and sweet. Neither man made any comment about the box of condoms or having sex. Instead, Mickey turned his back to Ian and allowed him to wrap him in a hug, secured against his chest. Within minutes they were both asleep. Cockblocked by toddling kids and personal confessions.

It was a free day for Mickey so when he woke up with Ian still sleeping beside him he decided to initiate the thing they missed the night before. 

“Ian?”

“Mm?”

“You awake?”

“I am now.”

Mickey planted tiny kisses all over Ian’s chest and watched him open his eyes, blinking against the light. 

“Oh hey.” Ian grinned sleepily. 

“You got work today?”

Ian’s grin widened. “Nope. All yours, all day.”

Mickey leaned across the redhead and reached into the nightstand, pulling out a foil packet and a bottle of lube. 

“We got about half an hour before the kid screams bloody murder in the name of breakfast...”

“Challenge accepted.” Ian grabbed the condom and rolled Mickey onto his back, kissing him deeply. 

Mickey closed his eyes and smiled to himself. He could absolutely get used to starting the day like this. 

After grabbing something to eat Mickey found himself on the receiving end of an Ian Gallagher Magical Mystery Tour. He had no idea where he was going when Ian bundled them up in their thick coats, Yev included, and herded them outside and on the train. 

“Where are we going?”

“Surprise!” Ian cheerfully answered. “Trust me.”

So Mickey followed and let Ian lead, with Yev on his shoulders. It was a visual that did things to Mickey. 

“Oh my God.” Mickey exhaled when it became clear. 

“Good idea?” Ian looped an arm around Mickey. 

They stared up at the building that housed Shedd Aquarium and Mickey laughed happily. 

“It’s gonna cost a bomb.”

Ian just grinned. “Come on...”

Ten minutes they were admitted free of charge thanks to a little help from the member of staff Ian’s brother was currently banging. 

“You’re just in time! The next penguin parade starts in fifteen minutes.” She told them excitedly. “Head to the Polar Play Zone now!”

Mickey shook his head in disbelief. “He’s gonna love you forever.”

Ian chuckled and kissed Mickey softly on the lips. “One Milkovich down, one to go.”

Mickey blushed and looked anywhere but Ian. The heat in his face was warming the room. Ian clapped his hands and took Yev, tossing him high and catching him. 

“Come on, sunshine. We’re gonna meet Pingu.”


	10. Two Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey deals with declarations of love and an unwelcome guest.

Mickey’s heart sank to his boots when he read the sign outside the Polar Play Zone. 

“Ian, it’s only for kids over 6.”

He watched at the redhead smiled and winked, putting his finger to his lips. “Still trust me?”

Mickey nodded and followed Ian into the room, surprised to see the pretty girl from the admissions desk waiting for them. 

“Hi Candace. Thanks for doing this.” Ian was all sunny smiles for the girl. 

“No problem. Lip scored me enough weed to bulldoze an elephant so payment is all square.” She giggled and opened up the door to the penguin enclosure. 

“Jesus. What’s that smell?” Mickey gasped and clasped a hand across his nose. 

Candace laughed even more jovially. “Oh yeah. Nobody ever talks about how much penguins stink.”

“But they’re so cute!” Mickey laughed along. “How do they smell so bad?”

“Guess the same applies to this little guy and his morning diaper.” Ian snorted. 

Candace locked the door behind them so they were the only people in the penguin zone. She pointed to where they needed to sit and they got into position, sitting on small stools close to the ground. When Yev was settled on Ian’s knee Mickey got his phone ready to record his reaction. Yev didn’t disappoint. When Candace opened the gate and a little rockhopper penguin bounced out of the pen, Yev lost his shit in the best way possible. 

“Dad! Gin! Dadgin!” The child pointed at the creature, a huge blazing smile lighting his face. “Ahhh!”

Candace enticed the penguin closer with the help of a fishy snack - because nothing makes animal shit smell better than adding concentrated fish to it - and Yev literally vibrated with happiness. Ian held on tight to stop him breaking free and Mickey managed to capture the redhead’s own beautiful smile. 

“Very gently, Yev.” Ian whispered and took the kid’s hand in his own, running it down the penguin’s neck. 

“This is Percy. He’s an old gent. A horny old gent.” Candace chuckled. “Thanks to Percy we’ve had no problems keeping the rockhopper population of Chicago going strong!”

“Good for you, Percy. You get yours.” Mickey grinned and stroked the penguin. 

“He’s equal opportunities too. He’s all about knocking up his wife, Mabel, but he’s got a tasty side piece too. Marcel.” Candace added. 

“Two males?” Ian gaped in surprise. 

“Oh sure. It’s really common. In the wild they pick one special lady and that’s them set for life. They’re ghetto married and they have a kid every year. Here in captivity their behavior is a little different. He still has Mabel, but he’s also attached himself to Marcel.”

“That’s kinda sweet.” Ian grinned goofily. 

Candace nodded her agreement. “Percy and Marcel make quite the handsome couple.” 

Mickey grinned at Ian. “Never thought I’d relate so hard to a bird.”

Candace managed to let Yev play with Percy for nearly an hour. Mickey assumed he would behave like a typical 14 month old child and grow bored after ten minutes. He was wrong. Yev was in love with the animal and had to be tricked into leaving with the promise of getting a new toy from the gift shop. They toured the rest of the aquarium but nothing came close to the penguin experience. Yev fell asleep on the train home and Ian rested his head on Mickey’s shoulder to watch the boy. 

“You made a beautiful kid, Mick.” Ian murmured. 

“Yeah.” A lump formed in Mickey’s throat and he internally berated himself for almost crying on the fucking train. 

“Ian?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for today. It was really thoughtful.”

“You’re welcome.”

“And I think you’re two Milkoviches down.”

Ian’s head shot up and his green eyes fixed on Mickey. “Are you saying...?”

Mickey smiled shyly and nodded. “Yeah.”

Without care or consideration for who might see, Ian cupped the back of Mickey’s neck and leaned in to kiss him. Mickey didn’t pull away, instead leaning further in and sucking on Ian’s bottom lip. 

“Will you say it?” Ian pleaded almost silently. 

“Will you?” Mickey nuzzled his nose against Ian’s. 

“I love you, Mick. Of course I do.”

“I love you too.”

Yev woke up on the walk home and each man grabbed a hand, swinging the giggling boy between them. It was dinner time and the hot dogs they had for lunch had long since worn off. 

“Can we order Chinese food?” Ian begged. 

“Sure. I’ll call it in when we get home.” Mickey replied. 

It took a second and Ian smirking at him to realize what he’d said. 

“He called it home, Yev.” Ian teased. 

Mickey blushed furiously and flipped Ian off with his spare hand. Ian laughed loudly and batted Mickey’s hand down. 

“You called it home.”

“Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up.”

They turned into South Trumball and Yev squeaked when he saw they were nearly home. 

“You want some stir fry chicken, kiddo?” 

Mickey stopped dead in his tracks and nearly split Yev in half when Ian kept walking. 

“Mick?” Ian frowned, picking Yev up. 

“No. No. It can’t be.” Mickey mumbled. His heart was sitting in his boots and he was about to throw up. 

“Mickey, what is it?”

And suddenly she was there. Standing in front of them on the sidewalk outside the house. Glaring at him like _he_ was the one who fucked off with all their money. 

“What the fuck...”

Her icy stare zeroed in on him. “You change locks.”

To Ian’s credit, Mickey knew he got it immediately. He shifted his stance to be closer to Mickey and also shield the baby. 

“Yup. My house. My locks.” Mickey went for bravado but it just made him feel even more nauseous. 

“You lock me out of home so you can rub dicks with orange boy?” She taunted him. 

Mickey swayed on the spot and he honestly believed he would keel over if Ian didn’t rest his hand on the bottom of his back. 

“You got this.” He murmured encouragingly. 

“It’s _my_ fucking house, you demented hag.”

Svetlana laughed mockingly and turned to Ian. “Give me my son.”

“Absolutely fucking not.” Ian replied shortly and firmly. 

Mickey had never been so grateful for anything in his entire life. It empowered him. Made him bold. Made him ready to take on anyone who dared to threaten his new life. 

“You’re not welcome here. And you’re not getting him. So take your ugly ass out of my sight.”

Svetlana narrowed her eyes. “You think I want him?”

“I don’t give a flying fuck what you want. Fact is, you left once so you can go ahead and do it again. For good this time.” Mickey spewed out his anger. 

“Take him inside.” Mickey handed Ian the key to the house. “Now.”

Again, to Ian’s credit, he moved away immediately in accordance with Mickey’s request. When Mickey was alone with the woman who represented the worst part of his life he felt his skin crawl with fear. She had abandoned her son but she was still his mother. He knew mothers always won when it came to custody shit. He hated how much this was affecting him. 

“You need to go.” He snapped. 

“Relax, little man. I do not want to be here any more than you want me here.” She sneered. “I have found real man. He loves me. He wants me.”

Mickey couldn’t hold back a burst of anxious laughter. “Well, guess what bitch? So have I.”

“You have always made foolish choices, Mikhailo.”

“None more foolish than turning up to marry you.”

He ached to be near Ian and Yev. His body turned away from her, wanting to be away and safe in his home. 

“I want to leave. Go to Russia. New man has home in Moscow. You pay for flights, I am gone for good.”

Mickey’s blood boiled. “The fuck? Haven’t I paid for enough? You left in the middle of the fucking night and took all our money so they cut off the heating. Your flesh and blood, left to suffer because you were so fucking selfish. So, the answer is no. You took it all already.”

“Mikhailo...”

Mickey yanked his arm away when her fingers gripped his forearm. “Don’t fucking call me that. Get the fuck outta here. If I see you again I’m gonna seriously lose my shit.”

“You are funny man. Thinking I fear you. You are pussy.”

He laughed maniacally and flipped her off. “Maybe so. Who gives a fuck?”

It gave him great pleasure to barge past her and into the house, leaving her obviously seething on the lawn. 

Ian had a bottle of beer waiting for him when he got inside. 

“Who the fuck does she think...what the fuck? How dare she just turn up here? She can kiss my ass.” His rage bubbled up and spilled out. 

Ian yanked him by the hips until he was pressed against the firm muscular body of his boyfriend. Yeah, fuck labels. “How about I do it instead?”

Suddenly Mickey’s belt was undone and his pants were around his ankles. Ian effortlessly sank to his knees and took his soft dick in his hand, jerking it firmly. 

“That feels pretty good actually.” Mickey conceded when his rage simmered down and sparks flew down his spine. “Where’s the kid?”

“Play pen with Penny. Telling her about his day.”

Mickey’s breath fell out of his lungs when Ian dipped his head and took his semi-hard member into his mouth. 

“Shit!” He hissed and scraped his nails through Ian’s hair where is curled slightly at the back of his neck. “That feels good.”

Ian sucked dick like a professional. It was a matter of commitment to the task and he was a dedicated master of the art. His hands gripped Mickey’s ass cheeks hard enough to leave bruises and used them to dictate the movements on his dick. When he hit the back of Ian’s throat, he gasped out a stuttered breath and tugged on the red strands. 

“Close.”

Ian grinned up at him and nodded. “Gimme.”

Mickey squeezed his eyes shut and began to whimper. The need to see Ian while he finished off won out and he peeled his eyes open again. “Fuck fuck fuck.”

He staggered back when Ian released his grip and gasped for breath. 

“Feeling calmer?” Ian grinned, wiping at his mouth. 

Mickey huffed a disbelieving laugh. “Yeah.”

“Good.” The redhead looked so self-satisfied and Mickey wanted to kiss the smirk right off his face. “You order food and I’ll get the tub ready for our little stinky pants.”

The happy blowjob buzz wore off by the time dinner arrived and Mickey pushed the food around his plate. Ian sighed and nudged Mickey, pointing out that half of his noodles were on the table. 

“Sorry.” Mickey mumbled. 

“Don’t apologize.” Ian rubbed his arm. “How can I help?”

Mickey shrugged. “I dunno. I don’t trust her. She’s gonna do something. Fuck with me somehow.”

“Like how?”

“I don’t know, Ian!” Mickey hissed, his fear getting the better of him. 

“Wow. Sorry.” Ian huffed, rising to his feet and clearing away his dishes. 

Mickey groaned at the stab of pain in his chest. The last thing he wanted was for Ian to be hurt by him lashing out. His arm shot out and grabbed Ian’s wrist. 

“I’m sorry. I’m just...”

“Scared.” Ian finished. “Me too.”

“You are?”

Ian smiled sadly and sat down opposite Mickey. “It’s freaking you out and you know what she’s capable of. That means I’m worried for you. What can I do?”

“Stay with me tonight?” Mickey blurted out his request. “I don’t want to be alone.”

Ian nodded firmly in reply. “Sure.”

“And make me forget.”

“I can do that.” Ian picked up Mickey’s hand and kissed the palm. 

It was Valentine’s Day and the bar was decorated with gaudy pink hearts and lipstick kisses hanging from every ceiling beam. The tables had packets of Love Hearts strewn around and the regulars were treated to Kevin’s special home brew of a sweet, sugary pink cocktail. 

“That’s vile.” Ian shuddered. “And I drank that moonshine shit that Frank made in someone’s basement.”

Mickey was working the bar but really he was shooting the shit with the guys and waiting for the end of his shift so he could head home with Ian to fuck the night away. Debbie was babysitting Yev and the Ball twins overnight and Mickey planned on making the most of it. Four days had passed since Svetlana had shown up and Mickey hadn’t heard from her again since, but he knew it wasn’t the end of the matter. She may have been a complete stranger when he married her but a few months living in the same house left him under no illusion - the woman was a psycho. 

“Here, Mick.” Ian handed over a candy. 

Mickey glanced at the sentiment and laughed. “Call Me? That’s what got me into this mess.”

Ian pretended to look hurt but grinned when he saw the next one. Mickey popped the first candy in his mouth and crunched on it, nearly spraying the bar with sugar when he read the one Ian held up. 

“Wanna Try Anal?” He shrieked. “Jesus, Kev! Where the fuck did you buy these?”

The big man chuckled happily. “A guy was selling them at the flea market. Cool, huh?”

“I mean, I guess...” Mickey smirked and used his mouth to accept the candy from Ian’s outstretched hand, nodding childishly to answer the question. 

Ian giggled and waved Kevin away when he offered him another beer. 

“So you two are a thing now?” Kermit asked blithely. 

Mickey blushed but Ian took control. “Yup. I got me a pint sized pocket rocket.”

“And I got me a lame ass lightweight giraffe.” Mickey retorted.

Ian yanked Mickey over the bar top and smacked a kiss on his lips. “You love me.”

Their jovial moment and inevitable teasing from Kevin, Tommy and Kermit was ruined when a growling voice piped up from a table behind them. 

“What the fuck did you just say?” Ian reeled around slowly and menacingly. 

“ _I said_ , we really gotta put up with that faggy shit in here?”

The guy was typical Southside. Mickey sized him up and wondered if dear old daddy had relatives he didn’t know about. He was pissed that even at his place of work he couldn’t be the person he wanted to be without some fucker having something to say about it. He was about to crack his knuckles and sort out the problem when he spotted Kevin giving Tommy a sly wink. The burly construction worker turned to the guy while simultaneously taking Kermit by the hand. 

“You’re in a gay bar, my friend. Faggy shit is all you’re gonna get.” Tommy smiled broadly. 

“What the fuck?”

Kermit grinned cheerfully and rubbed Tommy’s arm. “Love is love.”

Kevin nodded seriously from behind the bar. “Absolutely. Are you sure you’re not looking for your special someone? We have the Chicago men’s LGBTQABCXYZ cribbage team here every Tuesday night at 8. I’m sure I could hook you up with their star player...”

The guy knocked back the last of his beer and sneered at them. “You’re all a bunch of sick fucks!”

“And proud of it!” Tommy yelled at the guy’s retreating back as he stormed out of the bar. 

Mickey and Ian shared a look of utter disbelief. Three of the straightest men Mickey had met in his life had just taken a stand for him so easily. It was dizzying. 

“Oh hey, look.” Kermit held up a candy heart. “I got Suck Me!”

The bar was quiet by the end of Mickey’s shift and he stuck around with Ian for a while longer. He wanted to punch his idiot redhead in the face when he blurted out in front of Kevin and the guys that Svetlana had turned up again. 

“Jesus Ian.” He growled, but was warmed slightly by the look of fury on the face of his boss and friend. Mickey explained the situation and Kevin was livid. 

“You can’t be serious! She thinks she can make those kind of demands?”

Mickey sighed. “I don’t really wanna talk about it.”

“Tough shit. You need a plan.” Kevin shot back. “Next time she comes around you’re gonna have an iron clad plan that involves her fucking off for good.”

Mickey frowned and rubbed at his eyes. “She’s his mom, man.”

“Should’ve thought about that before she took off.” Tommy chipped in. 

Ian’s fingers closed around Mickey’s hand and willed him to stay calm. 

“She doesn’t deserve anything from you.” Kevin added. 

Mickey licked his lips and nodded. “I get that. I do. But what if he deserves to know his mom?”

The group fell silent and Mickey glanced at Ian. It was enough for the redhead to know he was ready to leave. They said goodbye to the guys and started the walk home. Mickey was quiet, unable to think of much beyond the need to protect his son. Which was weird in its own way since he never wanted a kid in the first place. 

_“I have given you enough time to think. $2,000 for flights to Moscow or I will start legal action. I will go for full custody. And I will win. You choose._ ”

Mickey read the note over and over. It had been pinned to the front door when he got home from the Alibi with Ian. He’d already felt the color drain from his face and now Ian was reaching out to steady him as he swayed on the spot. 

“Okay. I think Kev is right.” Ian sighed. “You need an iron clad plan.”

“I’m gonna fuckin kill her.” Mickey snarled. 

“That’s not gonna achieve anything. You’ll end up locked up and what’s Yev gonna do with zero parents?”

“You take him. You’d do a better job anyway.” Mickey shrugged. 

“Now I know you’re talking shit. Come on. Bed. We can come up with something together.” Ian pulled him to the door, stopping when Mickey resisted. 

“Can we go to your place?” He asked in a small voice. “I just really wanna be near Yev.”

Ian grinned brightly. “Of course.”

So that’s how Mickey ended up spending his first Valentine’s Day with Ian - squashed into a bed made for one with the lankiest giraffe in the Southside. Yev was asleep in a crib across the room that used to be Liam’s, and before that Carl’s. Ian thought it might have been his too at some point. It was late in the night and the place was quiet despite the fact it was more crowded than Full House. 

“You okay?” Ian ran his hand down Mickey’s bare chest. 

“I dunno, man. My head is gonna explode. I didn’t even want him, you know? I married that bitch cuz my dad threatened to kill me. Then she gets pregnant. It was a fuckin disaster.” Mickey explained. 

“Understandable. You were a gay man forced into playing straight.” Ian murmured. 

“I wanted nothing to do with her when she was pregnant. Even when he was first born. I didn’t hold him for weeks. I hated everything. Everyone.” Mickey was on a roll with his confession. 

Ian didn’t make a sound. He held onto Mickey loosely so he could breathe in the small space but tight enough that he felt comfort.

“Then one day she was out and left him with me. He was screaming. Red in the face, howling like a fuckin wolf. I had to pick him up. He stopped crying and looked at me like he was so relieved. I swear, I fell in love with the little asshole right there and then.”

Ian let out a puff of laughter. “He’s pretty easy to love. Just like his dad.”

“I can’t lose him, Ian.” Mickey said seriously. “She’s spiteful enough to take him away from me. I can’t let that happen.”

“It won’t.”

“You can’t be sure. You don’t know her...”

Ian turned Mickey’s head so he was looking into green eyes. “I can be sure.”

Mickey leaned in and kissed Ian. Long, passionate tongue dancing kisses. “How quietly can you fuck me?”

Ian giggled softly. “Let’s find out.”


	11. Iron Clad Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey comes face to face with his problems.

Mickey was at the bar again the next day and told Kevin about the note. 

“Oh hell no.” 

Mickey sighed. “Where am I gonna get two grand?”

Kermit piped up from his stool. “My sister in law is a family lawyer. I could ask her to come talk to you...”

Mickey’s ears pricked up. “How much?”

“Way less than two grand.” Kermit smirked. “Free consultation.”

“Thank you. That would be great.” Mickey exhaled and grabbed for a beer. 

“Drinking on the job, Mickey?” Frank Gallagher’s fake ass whiny voice called out. “That’s not very professional.”

“And yet here I am, Employee of the Month once again.” Mickey retorted, arms spread. 

“How’s about you top me up and give me a shot. After all, we are practically family.”

“We are?” Mickey feigned confusion. 

“You are having regular carnal relations with Ian, correct?”

Mickey turned to Kevin and whisper-shouted. “Does he mean banging?”

“I think you know what I mean.” Frank waved the pint glass at Mickey. 

“Nah sorry. Family discount doesn’t extend to absent uncles. Hit me up when I start banging Lip.” Mickey snarked and headed out back to bring in the delivery. When he returned an hour later he found a middle-aged woman with dark sleek hair sitting next to Kermit. 

“Hey Mick. This is Suzy. She’s the lawyer I told you about.”

Mickey smiled nervously. “Oh hey. That was fast.”

Suzy smiled back at him. “I owed him a favor. So, wanna grab me a club soda and tell me all about it...”

It took less than eight minutes for Mickey to work out that two grand would be the cheaper option by a clear mile. The legal fees involved in securing custody of his son would easily be double that, if not more, and still wouldn’t guarantee that he would win. 

“I can’t do it.” Mickey ranted to Ian. 

The redhead was making dinner in Mickey’s house with Yev playing at his feet. Any other day Mickey would find this domestic scene hot enough to spring a leak. Today, he was reminded that all this could disappear if his spiteful psychotic wife made good on her threats. 

“So we find the two grand.” Ian replied simply. 

“Look around, Ian. What gives you the idea I can find two fucking grand?”

Yev gazed up at his father curiously. Mickey scooped him up and tickled his chin. “Sorry sunshine.”

Ian sighed heavily and placed the spoon in the sink. “So what’s the next plan? All I’m hearing is the stuff you can’t do.”

Cold fury washed over Mickey. “You think two grand is gonna be enough? You think she’ll take it and go and never come back? I pay her and she’ll be back every time she needs money. That’s if I can even find the money! Then there’s the legal route. I’m looking at five grand just to be told that I suck as a father and my hooker skank bitch wife is better to raise this kid...”

“Alright!” Ian cut him off. “I’m sorry.”

“How about you stop thinking you know anything about this and leave me to sort out my shit.” 

When Mickey emerged from the bathroom with a freshly bathed toddler he found a covered plate of lasagna and garlic bread on the kitchen table. There was a note on the side with his name in Ian’s handwriting. He remembered the days when a note from Ian was the thing he most looked forward to. This did not feel like that. 

“ _Thought you needed some space. Call me tomorrow. Ian x_ ”

His heart ached as he screwed up the paper in his fist. He was alone again. A couple of ridiculously happy months and he’d fucked it up. 

The last of Yev’s clothes were packed. The kid was strapped in his stroller and looking at him curiously. 

“We’re going on a big adventure.” Mickey told him, handing him Penny. 

“Cha.”

“That’s right. Adventure.”

“Een.”

“No. Just us.”

“Een!”

Mickey sighed and got back to scooping up the last of the items he wanted to take. He couldn’t have a conversation with his son about Ian right now. Thinking about Ian just made him sad. It had been two days since Ian walked out of his house and he hadn’t seen him since. Truthfully, he’d been ignoring Ian’s calls and messages. Now his mind was set he didn’t need to have anything to distract him. 

“Een!” Yev shrieked and Mickey groaned. 

“Ian isn’t here. He’s gone. Get used to it.”

“Is that what you think?”

Mickey closed his eyes. Great. Now he was hallucinating and hearing Ian’s voice again. What kind of twisted mental illness was this?

“Look at me, Mickey!”

Mickey opened his eyes and saw Ian standing in the hallway by the open front door. “What are you doing here?”

“You didn’t answer any of my messages. I asked you to call me.”

Mickey’s temper exploded. “YOU LEFT!”

Ian jerked back like he’d been slapped. Mickey wasn’t finished, snarling at the redhead. 

“You left us. Like everyone does! People who are supposed to love us. People who say they love us. They all leave.” He ranted angrily. “You’re just like them. Get the fuck out of here.”

“Mickey...” Ian stepped closer and Mickey saw the dawn of realization register on Ian’s face. “What the fuck? You’re leaving?”

“I’m taking him and going where nobody can find us.” Mickey snapped. 

“Are you serious? Oh my god.” Ian gasped, sounding like he’d been punched. “Fuck. Were you even going to tell me?”

Mickey felt sick. Bile rose in his throat and he had to swallow several times before he could speak. “What...”

“No. Don’t even say anything. You were going to leave without telling me. You were going to do to me what she did to you.” Ian choked out. “How the fuck could you do that to me?”

“You left!” Mickey yelled. 

“I gave you _space_! I didn’t fucking leave! I was making you sad and angry so I gave you space to think!” 

Mickey covered his face behind his hands and tried to focus. He could barely breathe. 

“I can’t believe you’d do that to me. I thought you loved me. I thought we were building a life here.” Ian’s voice was soft now. Almost forlorn. 

“I _do_ love you. You’re the only person aside from my mom, my sister and the kid that I’ve ever loved. And leaving you behind was going to fucking kill a part of me that I’ll never get back. But don’t you get it? Building a life here without Yev isn’t a life at all. She’s gonna fight me to the end and take him away from me even though she doesn’t want him. Just so she can fuck with my head. And us and my job and our friends and this house...none of it matters if I don’t have him. Does that make sense?” Mickey shouted, spit flying from the corners of his mouth. 

Ian closed Mickey down in two large strides, grabbing him by the shoulders and crashing their lips together. Mickey floundered for a second before he pushed up on his toes and clutched Ian closer to him, sucking and biting on his lips. It was the sound of Yev giggling that forced them apart and they stared at each other for a long time, gasping for their breath and trying to calm down. 

“Don’t you dare fucking think about leaving me again.” Ian growled. “We’re a fucking team, alright? You and me and him.”

Mickey looked to where Ian pointed and smiled at Yev, waving Penny in the air at them. “Alright.”

“We stick together. We fix this thing together. We live happily ever after together. Okay?”

Mickey nodded. “Okay.” 

“We’ve done so well communicating with each other. You’re the first person I’ve told about my condition. You told me about how you felt when you became a dad. We’ve shared so much and we’re good at the talking thing. I don’t want that to change.” Ian pleaded. 

A tear rolled down Mickey’s cheek and Ian brushed it away. “I’m scared.”

Ian kissed his mouth tenderly. “I know. But we’re gonna figure it out. And if the last resort is disappearing with Yev then I can live with that. As long as I go too.”

Mickey’s eyes widened. “You would?”

“Last resort? Sure.” 

Mickey sank into another kiss, wanting more but aware of Yev watching the whole thing. “Help me unpack?”

If Yev was disappointed in the lack of big adventure it didn’t show. He was delighted to spend the day with Ian. Mickey was struggling with how he felt about the whole thing. He’d betrayed Ian by even contemplating running away. After spending the day behind a locked door with nothing but junk food and the Toy Story movies, Ian took Mickey to bed and gave him a physical reminder of how perfect they were when they worked as a team. 

“Tomorrow...” Ian ran his fingertips over Mickey’s chest and made him twitch when he brushed over a nipple. “...we go to the place where every problem I ever had gets a solution.”

Mickey frowned and turned his head to look up at his boyfriend. “And where is that?”

“You’ll see.”

Mickey tried to make sense of what he was seeing. What was actually happening in front of his eyes. It just wasn’t working. When Ian said he was taking him to the place where every problem found its solution he was expecting something more spiritual. Like a wizened old tree or a fountain filled with pennies and wishes. He was absolutely not expecting the Gallagher kitchen table. 

“Lip will be here in five. Debbie is taking a quick shower.” Carl said simply and took a seat next to Mickey. 

The teenager freaked Mickey out a little but if he was honest, the one time he’d met him before had left him feeling disturbed and impressed. He was a good kid at heart, that was easy to see. But he was a fucking lunatic. Mickey thought about asking Ian for an explanation but the gangly redhead was currently dancing around the space next to the sink with Yev in his arms, dipping him dramatically like they were contestants on Dancing With The Stars. The kid shrieked with delight and Ian turned to where Mickey and Carl were sitting. 

“And the scores from the judges...” He put on an announcer voice. 

Carl gave one thumbs up and one down. “Good form, smooth action. The kid is a future one to watch. Not sure about Ginger Bambi though. It’s a solid seven from me.”

Mickey gaped at the young potential serial killer beside him and wondered what the fuck the Gallaghers were fed as kids that had them turn out so goddamn kooky. 

“Woo!” Ian bounced Yev on his hip. “And what about the other judge? Did my smooth moves set his world on fire?”

Mickey blushed. “Sure. I mean, not _those_ moves...”

Ian giggled and pecked a kiss on Yev’s forehead and grabbed a banana from the side. Debbie came downstairs just as the back door opened and Lip appeared. Mickey quietly observed as Ian strapped the kid into a white plastic baby seat and served up a chunk of banana for him to mangle with his razor sharp teeth and drool. Suddenly Kevin filled the archway to the living room, Vee sticking her head out around him. 

“What are you...never mind.” Mickey shook his head. He’d learned by now that Ian was a complex human with his own thought processes. 

The table became crowded and Kevin handed out beers, unable to leave the day job behind. 

“Okay.” Ian smiled at the group. “Let’s resolve this shit.”

Mickey’s hands were shaking. It made pouring the beer into the glass very difficult. It was exactly a week since the Gallagher Kitchen Summit and the plan was about to be set in motion. Kevin emerged from the back and squeezed his shoulder. 

“You got this. Go on.”

Mickey took his beer and his bag and sat in the furthest table from the door. It was tucked away and private so he wouldn’t be disturbed. Ian wasn’t around and it was like his oxygen supply was dangerously low. When all of this was over he really needed to think about how dependent he’d become on Ian for his happiness. It was not advised by any of the relationship experts he’d read about in Mandy’s teen girl magazines. But Mickey had always been a go big or go home kinda guy. The hairs on the back of his neck stood to attention when the door opened and the soul was sucked out of the room. 

“Over here.” He barked at his wife in name only. 

Svetlana strutted over like she owned the place in skin tight black shiny trousers and a white blouse that barely covered her tits. It turned Mickey’s stomach and not just because he was gay. She climbed into the booth and rested her elbows on the table, smiling wolfishly. 

“You have considered my offer?”

Mickey nodded. “I need a couple of guarantees. You give me those, you get your money.”

Svetlana tapped her fingers against her lips. “We’ll see. What are your requests?”

“Not requests. Demands. You don’t deliver, I don’t pay up.” Mickey reiterated and her expression flashed to a scowl before returning to impassive. 

“Fine...” She waved her hand. 

Mickey reached into his bag and pulled out a large manila envelope, placing it on the table. Svetlana reached for it but Mickey pulled it away at the last second. 

“There’s divorce papers in there. Gonna need you to sign them.” Mickey stated, willing his voice to stay calm. 

Her eyebrows arched. “Oh? You are unhappy in our marriage?”

He rolled his eyes at her blatant sarcasm. “One day I'm gonna want to marry someone I actually love and you are not going to be the thing that stands in my way.”

“You mean orange boy?” Svetlana scoffed. 

“Damn right I do.” He replied without hesitation. “So? You’ll sign the papers?”

She sighed heavily and nodded. “I wish to stay married to you as much as I wish for hole in head.”

“Stay tuned.” He growled. “And be careful what you wish for.”

“You threaten me, little man?” She chuckled harshly. 

“Nope. I don’t need to. You think because my dad is a fucking retarded asshole that I’m the same. Well I’m not. You won’t get the results you hope for if you cross me.”

She folded her arms across her chest and glared. “That is all?”

He shook his head and she laughed humorlessly. 

“Spit it out, pedik.”

Mickey bristled, knowing that the Russian Svetlana spoke at him would be derogatory but not able to translate it. He glared at her and nearly said something but thought better of it. He wanted this to be done and finished so he could get home to Ian. 

“Sign over full parental rights to me. You walk away and you stay away.” Mickey said simply. His heart thudded in his chest so loud he thought she would hear it. 

“That’s all?” She laughed loudly. “You are so strange Mikhailo. I would do that for free.”

It was like a knife twisting in his heart. He sucked in a shallow breath and stared at her. 

“How can you say that? Don’t you care about him at all?”

“I have no interest in raising your brat. I regret day I ever met you.”

Mickey shook his head in dismay at the cold, calculating bitch he had the misfortune to marry. “Not as much as I do.”

“I doubt it. Your father paid me to marry you. Did you know that? Of course you didn’t. You disgust me.”

Mickey licked his dry lips. “You hate me so much. You don’t want the kid. Why are you threatening to go for full custody of him if I don’t pay you?”

“I want out. Out of America. Russia is a fucked up place sometimes but at least it does not pretend. You will pay me the money I need to get out of here or I will take away the one thing in your life that you actually want. Do I make clear the terms?”

“Yes.” He ground out. 

Svetlana rose to her feet. “I take papers to read. I will be here in one week.”

He watched her leave, letting out a sigh as he switched off the voice recorder on his phone. 

Mickey collapsed on Ian when he got home. His boyfriend was taking care of the kid while Mickey sorted out his shit. 

“The kid asleep?”

“Yeah. Fell asleep on the floor again. He’s a strange bean.” Ian held him tightly. “Everything go okay?”

“Yep. Gonna need you to fuck me now.”

Ian’s eyebrows raised involuntarily. “As much as I love it when you make demands of my dick...don’t you want to talk about it?”

“Nope. Now are we going to bed or am I gonna ride you right here on the living room floor?”

Ian back tracked from where he was heading to the bedroom. “The second one. Definitely the second one.”

Mickey grinned and stripped out of his shirt. “Get the lube, bitch.”

They had prepping down to a fine art now. Not a second was wasted and Mickey groaned into Ian’s neck when he sank down on his suited and lubed dick. 

“Oh God.” Ian hissed. 

Mickey had asked him once, after their first go at Mickey riding him, why he seemed more vocal in that position. Ian had struggled to explain it. Basically it was about Mickey having the control. Pinning Ian in place. Taking what he wanted. All of that psychology shit. 

“The way your dick bounces is obscene.” Ian grunted in that moment. 

Okay. So maybe it wasn’t _all_ psychological. 

“Touch it. It won’t bite.” Mickey grinned down at his boyfriend. 

Ian closed his eyes for a second and Mickey shifted to change the angle. Ian’s eyes flew open and he held onto Mickey’s thighs for dear life. 

“You better be ready to come soon if you’re throwing moves like that around.” He barked and Mickey laughed. 

“Didn’t realize this was a one pump jump, QuickDraw.”

Ian growled deep in his chest and lurched up, hooking Mickey’s legs around his middle and fucking up into him like he was punishing him for some misdemeanor or other. 

“Fuck, Ian. Fuck!” Mickey clawed at the damp skin on Ian’s back. “Harder!”

Their passionate tryst was somewhat interrupted when Mickey’s phone rang, blaring out an obnoxious autotune noise. They ignored it but it rang again immediately. Mickey grunted and reached into his jeans to find the offending article. 

“What?” He snapped, gripping at Ian’s hair when the redhead started to suck on his neck. 

“It’s Lip. We found her.”

“Uh-huh.”

“You want the address?”

“Busy.” Mickey retorted and yanked roughly on Ian’s short hair until he groaned and thrust up harder. 

“What...? Is that Ian? Are you _fucking_?” Lip shrieked down the phone so loud even Ian heard him. 

“Might be.” Mickey sounded as breathless as you would expect if you had a solid nine inches looking for a new home in your diaphragm. 

“Jesus Christ! Why did you answer the fucking phone?”

“You kept ringing!”

“Oh my God. I’m hanging up now.”

“Text me the details.” Mickey chuckled, not even bothering to hang up before he tossed the phone aside and demanded Ian go harder, faster, deeper. 

“I hope you both get crabs!” Lip hollered and hung up. 

Ian came like he was having a seizure and Mickey clutched him close while he rode it out. Mickey still hadn’t come and Ian didn’t leave him hanging for long. He pulled out, discarded the condom and rolled Mickey on his back. When they first got together Mickey found it hard to let Ian wander around downstairs. Aside from some cursory prodding in the name of preparation, Mickey hadn’t had much attention to his lower half. None of had ever been in an effort to pleasure him. But Ian was very different in that sense. He loved sucking Mickey off. He loved fingering him, sometimes just doing that and having no interest in getting off himself. Ian also loved rimming Mickey to the point he was a puddle of mush. Ian just loved loving Mickey. So when Ian crawled down Mickey’s body as he was prone on the living room floor, he knew he was in for a treat. Ian didn’t disappoint. 

“How come you’ve got such a pretty asshole?”

Mickey groaned at the lameness and was quickly cut off by Ian’s tongue circling the puckered skin. 

“I mean...look at it...perfection.”

“I am not looking at my own asshole. My neck doesn’t bend that way.”

Ian chuckled, blowing warm breath on heated flesh. “You ready to come?”

Mickey nodded rapidly. “It hurts.”

That was another thing he’d never experienced before. He’d had sex before Ian. He’d jerked off before Ian. He’d jerked off to Ian’s voice before he’d met Ian. But until he had sex _with_ Ian he’d never known he could be so hard that it physically pained him. 

“Gonna take care of you.” Ian whispered and Mickey heard the promise in his voice. 

A second later Ian had two fingers buried deep inside Mickey and thrumming against the bundle of nerves that drove him wild. Ian’s lips closed around the tip of his dick and he sucked him deep into his throat. 

“Oh holy fucking fuck fuck fuck.”

His cock exploded like a geyser in Ian’s mouth. The redhead took it all and swallowed around him a couple of times. When he pulled away his lips were red and curved into a huge smile. 

“That was beautiful.”

Mickey blushed and smiled. “C’mere.”

Ian met him in the middle for a slow kiss and Mickey didn’t even care that he could taste himself on Ian. 

“Hey. You okay?” Ian murmured and brushed his thumb over Mickey’s cheek. 

“Sorry. Didn’t realize I was crying.” He sniffed. 

Ian wrapped his arms around his shoulders and Mickey breathed him in. “It’s gonna be fine.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”


	12. Smash n Grab

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey signs on the dotted lines before he finds out things aren’t what they seem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after bombarding you with updates I then go MIA for a while. Yikes. Been feeling utterly lethargic but looking to get back on track!
> 
> Enjoy 💕

**********

“ _Hello! You’re through to Melanie at Orion Utilities! How can I help you today?”_

_“I need to speak to Gallagher. Ian.”_

_“Okay. Can I ask what the call is regarding?”_

_“No. You can’t. Is he there?”_

_“Let me check. Yes. He’s here. I’ll transfer you._ ”

**********

“Hello, you’re through to Ian...”

“Yeah, fuckhead. I know.”

“Mickey?”

“What the fuck? You weren’t there when I woke up...”

“I had the early shift.”

“Sunshine was gone.”

“Not _gone_. Just away. I left him with Debbie for a couple of hours until Vee could take him. Didn’t you get my note?”

“Eventually. The house was like a fuckin morgue.”

“You’re being dramatic. Did you enjoy sleeping in?”

“Yeah...”

“Good.” Ian sounded pleased. “Mission accomplished.”

“You’re a sneaky bastard.” Mickey chuckled. 

“You’ve got a long day ahead.”

Mickey turned serious and sighed. “I know.”

“So get some breakfast and enjoy the peace. I’ll see you later.”

“Okay.” Mickey agreed. “I love you.”

“Love you too, Mick.”

The plan to sort Svetlana out once and for all was a simple one. Lip had masterminded it with his logical brain. But that didn’t mean Mickey wasn’t nervous. So much so, Kevin was currently giving him a pep talk in the cellar of the Alibi. 

“You got this. We’re all behind you. Get rid of this bitch for good.”

Mickey nodded and accepted the plastic bag Kevin held out to him. “I just want you to know...if this goes wrong, if I can’t get it back, I’ll repay every cent.”

Kevin soft-punched Mickey’s jaw. “It’s a good old fashioned smash n grab. It’s what we do. You’re getting it back. Now go. Suzy is one more vodka soda away from only being able to witness unicorns...”

Mickey headed to the same booth he was in the same time last week and waited for his personal demon to arrive. Suzy was beside him, rereading the notes she’d already made. The cold, late-February air blasted into the bar when the door opened and she walked in. This time she wore a denim mini skirt and a spandex orange boob tube, entirely defying the weather. But then, did you even feel the cold when you had pure hatred and vodka running through your veins?

“Where do you even buy clothes like that?” Suzy whispered in Mickey’s ear and he laughed lightly. It was enough to calm him down and Svetlana to have a scowl on her face when she sat. 

“Mikhailo.”

“Svetlana.”

“You have cash?”

“You got the papers?”

She pulled out the sheaf of papers from her bag and placed them on the table. Suzy reached for them and checked for any amendments Svetlana might have tried to sneak over the line. When she was satisfied, she uncapped her pen. 

“Sign on the dotted line.”

“Cash first.”

Mickey rolled his eyes and put the money on the table next to him. “There you go, Richie Rich.”

Svetlana picked up the pen and signed her name in exaggerated loops, smiling darkly as she snatched up the bag of Kevin’s money. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

“Yeah. Fuck off.” Mickey snapped. 

The plan was he had to stay at work. Just like Ian. They both had to be at work and have everyone be able to vouch for them. Only, Mickey wanted to leave. He wanted to be at home with his sunshine and Ian with the door locked. It was unhealthy and something he probably needed to address at some point, but that’s how he felt. Suzy was already on her way to file the paperwork. She knew the urgency, even if she couldn’t know the details. You didn’t marry into a family like Kermit’s without knowing what Southside meant. It would be a done deal in 24 hours. Mickey just had to get through the rest of the day serving drinks for great unwashed without smashing more glasses. 

“Kevin, you really need to get your staff to smile a little. You’re in the hospitality business!”

Mickey closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. There was nothing he’d enjoy more than putting his knuckles through the teeth of Frank Gallagher. He’d probably even get a thank you from most of the bar. The only thing that stopped him was the knowledge that Frank was a vindictive motherfucker who wouldn’t think twice about reporting him to the authorities. Instead, he turned to face Ian’s deadbeat relative and bared his teeth in a shark-like grin. 

“What can I get you, Frank? This one is on me.”

Frank’s eyes widened and he pointed to the top shelf. Mickey growled inwardly and poured a shot of ten dollar Irish. As much as he hated wasting money on this utter despot he knew it would be etched in Frank’s brain should Mickey need to confirm his whereabouts. When Ian wandered into the bar with Yev on his hip at the end of his shift, Mickey felt a surge of adrenaline that almost knocked him sick. He had no idea what was happening now that his part was over. That was the point. Plausible deniability. But seeing Ian, smiling that mega-watt smile that could light up Mickey’s insides, made him shaky with relief. 

“Hey.” He breathed. 

Ian leaned over the counter and kissed Mickey softly, resetting his inner balance with the touch of his lips. 

“Ugh. Really? All we want is a quiet drink, we don’t need reminding there’s _romance_ left in the world.”

“SHUT UP FRANK.” Mickey, Ian, Kevin and Tommy shouted out in unison. 

Ian was moving inside Mickey like he was made of glass and needed to be handled carefully. It was driving Mickey wild, since he was still new to the whole sex being fun thing. Sex wasn’t ever a thing for Mickey until Ian came along. Fucking. That’s what he did. A means to an end. An itch to be scratched. The quicker the better. But Ian had opened up a new world for him and it was as unsettling as it was amazing. Mickey never knew his body could feel the things he felt now. The way Ian could edge his orgasm for what felt like hours until he thought his chest would rip open and spill his soul onto the floor. The way his heart squeezed like it was wringing out the last drop of blood because it was all rushing to his dick and _throbbing_. It was all new to him but he would die if he never got to feel this way again. 

“You’re not yelling at me.” Ian noted curiously. 

“What for?”

“For not fucking you.”

Mickey glanced down his body, even though he couldn’t see anything other than where their chests were pressed together. Ian was completely on top of him, full weight pressing him to the bed while he rocked his hips slowly and purposefully. Mickey’s cock was trapped between them and hypersensitive from rubbing against the fine hairs on Ian’s sweat-slicked belly. It was intense. “Pretty sure the dick in my ass confirms you’re fucking me.”

Ian giggled and Mickey felt the rumble in Ian’s chest against his own. The redhead nuzzled his nose to Mickey’s and he smiled down at him. “Baby, _no_ , we’re making love.”

Mickey playfully rolled his eyes. “You are so gay.”

Ian grinned and nodded. “Pretty sure my dick in your ass confirms that...”

“I love you.” Mickey blurted out. It came out soft and quiet and in a rush but there was absolute certainty in his voice. Ian’s face lit up in a sweet smile and Mickey would give anything to make that happen every day. 

“This is all happening so fast.” Mickey mumbled. “Meeting you. Falling...well, know you. It’s only been a couple months but you’re under my skin, man. And I want you to know, I love you.”

“I know.” Ian confirmed. “I love you too.”

Mickey’s hands cupped Ian’s face and he stroked his thumbs over the freckled skin. “I want to get tested and stop using rubbers. I want to feel all of you.”

He could swear that he felt Ian’s dick swell even more inside him. Green eyes went wide and he nodded firmly. 

“Yes! I want that too. I just want you.”

Mickey leaned up and kissed Ian, sucking on his bottom lip. “Make love to me, baby.”

Ian giggled happily at his own corny lines being used against him. “Abso-fuckin-lutely.”

In the afterglow, Ian held Mickey’s hand and rested it over his heart. 

“It’s gonna be fine, you know. You’re gonna be a free man with only your son to think about.” 

Mickey sniffed. “Yeah, we’ll see.”

“She can’t hurt you now.”

Mickey closed his eyes and didn’t respond. He didn’t want to ruin the moment by spilling out all his fears. His brain raced constantly with thoughts of what Svetlana might do to retaliate. Since Lip tracked her down to her current address, Mickey had a cold feeling. She was shacked up with some much older guy in a bad neighborhood. She obviously really needed the money since she signed the paperwork without fuss. And not asking for more than she knew Mickey could scrounge together was a big hint. So it played on his mind that she would come back fighting when they got the money back. Ian was snoring softly in his ear and Mickey took a deep, calming breath. Whatever she decided to do, he would face it head on. Because with Ian in his corner, he could take on the world. 

Ian was off work the next day and offered to keep Yev while Mickey did a shift at the bar. He was rearranging the cellar - because Kevin had no system whatsofuckinever when it came to storage - when he got a phone call from Suzy. 

“Paperwork is filed. You’ll get a court date soon.”

Mickey sank to the floor and leaned against the brick wall, lighting up a cigarette. “No issues?”

“Nope. Family court isn’t too backed up right now so the parental rights will be sorted within the next few weeks. The divorce is done in two parts so takes a little longer.”

Mickey exhaled a lungful of nicotine. “Thank you.”

“No problem. You’re too young to have this much stress.” Suzy chuckled. 

“Nothing like being a single dad to age you a decade.” Mickey joked. 

“Well you don’t look a decade older and you’re not single, so maybe it’s not so bad. I’ll call when I get a date for the hearing.”

She clicked off the call before Mickey could say anything else and he sat there until he finished his cigarette wondering how the fuck he was going to pay his legal fees. As he was preparing to tackle the challenge of mixed wine bottles his phone beeped. 

“ _Hey Dad, think we can get one of these? I kinda like it._ ”

Mickey laughed joyfully at the photo Ian had attached of Yev, bundled up in his coat, standing nose to nose with a black and white dog in the park. The smile on his little face made Mickey worry for the population of penguins who may be sliding down Yev’s list of favorite animals right then. 

He shot off a quick reply to his son, via Ian. “ _Maybe when you’re big enough to pick up the shit._ ”

Beep. 

“ _Ian says he will do it. Happily._ ”

“ _Impressed with how many words you’ve learned since breakfast, kiddo. Let’s talk about it in detail tonight. Love you_.”

“ _Me and Ian love you too_.”

And suddenly, Mickey’s day was looking up. 

Carl Gallagher was one of the most complex characters Mickey had ever encountered. That included the people he met in juvie. Carl was stupid. No getting away from that and Mickey was confident there would be no offence taken if he told him to his face. He didn’t know many things but he felt a lot. He would do anything for his family and it seemed like he was included in that group now. It was simply a case of being with Ian made you family. Mickey had long ago given up trying to figure out what all of his conflicting emotions meant when it came to the Gallagher family. Carl was loyal to an almost animalistic level. And Carl was a complete psychopath. So when he was waiting for Mickey at the end of his shift to walk him home, Mickey was a little perturbed. 

“Since when did I need a chaperone?”

Carl shrugged in that laid back way that pissed people off. “Just looking out for you.”

“Shit gone down?”

“Gone. Going. Whatever.”

Mickey pulled on his coat in agitation and left the bar with Carl loping behind him. “Keep up. I got half an hour to see my kid before he’ll be asleep in his dinner.”

They were halfway home before Carl spoke again. 

“Ian doing okay?”

Mickey’s eyes cut to him quickly. “Yes. Why?”

That fucking shrug. 

“Stress sometimes makes him act different.”

Mickey swiped at his lip with his thumb. “Different?”

“Yeah. Kinda...alert, I guess.”

“Alert?” 

“Jesus, you just gonna repeat everything I say?”

Mickey smirked. “You just gonna hint around it until I say I know about his bipolar shit?”

“Oh thank god. He told you?” Carl exhaled. 

“Of course he fuckin did. We’re partners.” Mickey snapped, only absorbing the words himself once they were said. Partners. That felt...different. 

“Cool. And he’s good?”

“He’s good.” Mickey confirmed, turning them into his street. “What’s this about, Carl? Not that I don’t appreciate the escort home and the thrilling conversation...”

Carl nodded to the house. “Let’s go in.”

Mickey followed Carl as he climbed the steps. He watched as the teenager checked the locks on the door before opening it on the first try. He turned to Mickey with raised eyebrows. 

“Think maybe you wanna lock the doors?”

“What the fuck is this about?” Mickey repeated with a snap to his voice.

Once they were inside Carl locked up and they found Ian playing with Yev on the floor. He was building tall stacks with building blocks and gasping dramatically when the kid toppled them to the floor. 

“Hey, Daddy’s home!”

Mickey rolled his eyes and bent down to peck Ian’s lips and stroke a hand through Yev’s hair. “Thought we agreed only Yev can call me that.”

“Thought we agreed that _sometimes_ I could too...”

“GAG.” Carl coughed behind them. 

“Hey Carl.” Ian greeted with a cheeky grin. 

The younger Gallagher dropped to the floor and began helping Yev build the next stack. The toddler stared at him with wide, confused eyes for a moment before he joined in. 

“Hand me a green block, Yev.” Carl pointed to the blocks and the child handed one over. “Or blue. That works.”

Mickey folded his arms and took in the scene. Something was off here but he had no idea what, only that it had to do with Svetlana since that was the only aspect of his life Carl had been involved in. He didn’t seem in a hurry to get to the point so Mickey busied himself making dinner. 

“You staying?” He asked Carl. 

The teenager grinned. “Never turn down a free meal.”

“It ain’t free. You pay with childcare.”

The three men and a baby sat around eating chicken enchiladas and it was so fucking domestic Mickey didn’t know where to look. Ian didn’t seem remotely uneasy about having a member of his family inside their sanctuary. That’s what this house had become to Mickey, which was an absolute head fuck since all he wanted since he was a kid was to burn the place down. Now it was cleaned up and his place. His family home in the only sense that mattered. Having Carl here, eating their food and pulling dumb faces that made Yev giggle so hard he sprayed rice all over himself, made Mickey feel something. What that something was, he hadn’t figured out yet. But it was something he didn’t hate. Carl stuck around while Mickey bathed the kid. 

“Okay, Sleepyface is going to bed now.” He carried Yev over to Ian, who took him and cradled him against his chest. Yev yawned and nuzzled into Ian’s shoulder. 

“Een.”

“You want me to tuck you in?” Ian murmured, sniffing Yev’s freshly washed curls. “Come on then. Say g'night to Uncle Carl...”

Mickey tried to hide a smile when Carl waved at the kid in the dinosaur pyjamas. 

“Night night kiddo.”

“Cal.” Yev waved back before using his hand to ball into a fist and rub his eye. 

Ian wandered off to put Yev down for the night and left Carl alone with Mickey. 

“He’s always been good with kids. Babies love him. Frank said once it was God’s sick sense of humor that he gave the gay gene to the only Gallagher with any paternal instinct.” Carl mused, almost as if Mickey wasn’t there. 

“Frank knows there’s ways and means gay guys can have kids, right?” Mickey scoffed. “I mean, I did.”

“Sure. But that doesn’t allow Frank the ammunition he needs to rag on Ian, does it?”

“Fuckin asshole.”

“Don’t need to tell me.”

Mickey rubbed his mouth and took a breath. Try as he might to keep his walls in place, he actually liked this kid a lot. “He’s great with the kid. Better than me most days.”

Their conversation was cut short by Carl’s cell ringing in his oversized jeans pocket. He pulled it out and answered it with a grunt. 

“A’ight. Meet you at the spot. Gimme ten.”

He hung up and got to his feet. “Thanks for dinner.”

Mickey gaped at him. “That’s it? You’re going?”

“Yup.”

“And you’re not gonna tell me why you had to walk me home or check my locks?”

“Nope.”

Mickey shook his head. “Alright, Al Capone. Get the fuck outta here.”

“I’ll be back in an hour.” Carl winked. 

Then he was gone. Into the cold evening and leaving Mickey wondering what the fucking hell was happening. 

Ian emerged from the kid’s room, Mandy’s old room, and frowned. “Carl gone?”

“Says he’ll be back in an hour.”

A wicked smirk curled Ian’s mouth upwards. “Hmm. How _will_ we pass the time?”

Mickey’s eyes followed Ian’s hand as it dropped to his own belt. “Oh okay I like where this is going...”

Where it ended up was Mickey laying flat on the couch with his knees around his ears while Ian opened him up with lips, teeth, tongue and fingers. Over the last few weeks they had established an effective quickie routine. It was a direct result of never knowing how long the kid would give them before he demanded attention. 

“Get in me.” Mickey demanded. 

He needed to come before the teenage gangster returned from whatever drug deal he was currently on. 

“Bossy bottom bitch.” Ian sank his teeth into Mickey’s ass cheek until he yelped. 

“Fucker! Suit up and lube up, bitch.”

A second later Ian was inside Mickey and doing the equivalent of push ups over Mickey’s contorted body. 

“Holy fuck. This is intense. Fuck!”

Ian stilled. “Too much?”

“No. Yes. No. Keep going. Gonna be quick though. You’re hitting the spot good.”

Ian resumed his steady, measured thrusts and Mickey keened at the sensations taking over his body. He hadn’t been joking when he said it would be over quick. It seemed like only a minute passed when he started to come, painting the pale skin of his own stomach. Ian groaned from above him. 

“So tight. You milk my cock so good. Gonna shoot...”

“Pull out and come on me.”

Mickey wasn’t sure where that demand came from. He didn’t even think it before the words were out of his mouth. But once they were out there he wanted nothing more than to see Ian come. 

“Fuck. Now.” Ian hissed and pulled out, yanking off the condom and jerking his cock once before he came. Mickey watched in perverse pleasure as Ian’s release mixed with his own and grinned up at his boyfriend. 

“Why is that so hot?” Ian’s eyes were blown wide open. 

Mickey laughed and lowered his legs, feeling the burn in his thigh muscles. “I gotta shower.”

“I gotta watch.” Ian grinned. 

Carl was true to his word. He was back in Mickey’s living room looking at the two men suspiciously, who were bright eyed and pink in the face. 

“You two stoned?”

Mickey screwed up his face. “Fuck no. We got a kid in the house.”

Carl stared at them for a long second like he was trying to work out why that would make a difference. Finally he snapped out of his thoughts and handed over the brown paper bag in his hand to Mickey. It was heavy and damp. 

“Raining.” Carl said in explanation. 

Mickey looked inside and felt his stomach swoop painfully. He sat down quickly on the edge of the couch. 

“Carl...”

“It’s all there. My boy swiped some electronics to make it look like a robbery. Told him to keep it and fence it for himself. Don’t want that shit linked to you.”

Mickey didn’t expect the plan, as simple as it was, so work so easily. Kevin put up the cash, Lip trailed Svetlana to find out where she was living, Carl and his ‘contacts’ would stage a burglary. The money would be recovered, Kevin repaid and Mickey was in the clear. He’d been at work all night. He had witnesses. A bar full of them. 

“And that’s it?” Mickey exhaled shallowly, leaning into Ian’s large hand when it came to rest on the back of his neck. 

Carl sighed. “Yeah. That’s it.”

“No it ain’t.” Mickey argued, the coldness seeping into his body again. “What is it?”

Carl’s eyes darted around the room. “Alright. So my boy lives in her neighborhood. The guy she’s with...he’s hardcore. Some Russian pimp or some shit.”

“Fuck! Is your boy at risk?” Mickey cringed a little at the white bread reference to Carl’s friend. 

Carl scoffed. “Hell no. He could rob a cop shop and leave no trace. I chose my player wisely.”

“So what’s the deal?”

“He reckoned there was something going on. Like he wasn’t what she said he was. Maybe.”

“Speak fuckin English!” Mickey hissed. 

“He thinks she’s his employee, not his girl. And he does not treat his girls good. Where he found the money...it was stashed in her stuff. Like she was hiding it. Kinda looked like an escape plan.” Carl explained softly. 

Mickey glanced at Ian and found green eyes looking down at him. “Shit.”

Ian bit his lip. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking it all makes sense now. Cutting ties with me. The kid. Only asking for as much as I could possibly stretch to paying her. She’s running away.”

“She _was_.” Carl pointed to the money in the bag. 

Mickey closed his eyes and inhaled sharply. “What the fuck am I gonna do?”


	13. Ten Hours From Tulsa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey’s first plan leads to a second plan, and Ian is not happy about it.

“What do you mean, what are you gonna do?” Ian demanded, keeping his voice quiet so he didn’t wake the sleeping baby. 

Carl had just left the house to head home and the two of them were left to digest his news. Mickey looked up at Ian. His boyfriend was silently raging. 

“She’s in danger. She’s tryna get out of the game.”

“Oh come the fuck on, Mickey. She’s a hooker who got mixed up with the wrong people. Tale as old as time.”

Mickey’s eyes narrowed and he glared at Ian. “Is that what you think? She deserves it?”

He didn’t understand his own anger towards Ian. He was only saying what almost everyone in his life would say. She made her bed, she gets to lie in it. It was what he would normally think. But this twisted feeling in his gut was telling him that she was in danger and he was responsible for keeping her there. 

“Where are you going?” Ian called out and Mickey realized he was heading to the door. 

“A walk.” He muttered. “Stay with the kid.”

It took to the end of the block to notice it was raining. He remembered Carl telling him but that felt like hours ago rather than the minutes it had actually been. His ragged cable knit sweater - the one Ian had once told him made him look like a sexy old man - was soaked within minutes, weighing him down. His brain was clouded with thoughts about Svetlana. When he spotted the old baseball field in the distance he picked up the pace and took shelter in the dugouts. That’s when he realized he’d left home without his phone, wallet and cigarettes. He fixed his gaze on second base and tried to get his breath back. He hated his wife. He hated that he ever met her. That he ever went along with Terry’s plan to be a straight man. He hated that the one person in the entire world that was meant to have Yev’s back had completely abandoned him with a man who didn’t know how to look after himself never mind a baby. He hated himself for letting it get this bad. For letting his father decide how his life should look when he was hardly the poster boy for solid family values. The hatred in his heart made him lash out. It drove people away. Mandy loved him, he knew that. But she didn’t always like him. Moving away was an easy choice for her when the alternative was to stay living in a house of horrors with him. 

His throat burned with unshed tears. He swallowed lungfuls of cold air to control it. He allowed his mind to drift to Ian. What the fuck had he done to deserve Ian? Someone with a heart so pure he wanted to help a complete stranger. Someone who had grown to love the kid like his own child in a matter of months. Someone who wanted only good things for him. But even Ian couldn’t understand why Mickey was conflicted now. With his pure heart full of love, even Ian wanted them to forget about Svetlana and her current predicament. But Mickey was many things, many unsavory thoughts crossed his mind, but he was not a cruel man. He just wasn’t sure how to fight this battle. 

When the rain stopped about an hour later Mickey walked home, soaked to the skin and probably on the verge of catching cold. The house was quiet and the lights were off so he headed to the bathroom to take a shower. Ian was already in the small room, filling up the tub with hot water and the kid’s superhero bubble shit. 

“What are you doing?”

Ian looked up and smiled. “Saw you coming along the block. You look like a drowned rat.”

Mickey smiled back and pulled off his sweater. “Just a little. Sorry for leaving you with the kid.”

“Don’t worry about it, he hasn’t even stirred. I thought we could try to squeeze in together. Might be a little tight...”

“Thought you liked it tight.” Mickey’s eyebrows wiggled and he bit his bottom lip. 

Ian burst into soft, appreciative laughter. “I definitely do.”

Mickey waited for Ian to climb in first and then looked at the spare space with a mix of longing and realistic disbelief. 

“Come on.” Ian gestured to the tiny gap between his legs. 

Mickey climbed into the tub, unsteadily swaying until Ian’s hands clamped around his hips and guided him to sit. It was a tight fit but with some wiggling and overlapping they found a comfortable position. Mickey leaned back against Ian’s chest and allowed him to splash warm water over his torso. 

“That okay?”

“Nice.” Mickey mumbled, the chill in his bones starting to go away. They stayed silent for a while. Could’ve been minutes. Could’ve been hours. Mickey was starting to feel sleepy when Ian spoke softly. 

“We gonna talk about this?”

“What, defying the laws of physics to fit both our asses in this tub?”

“You know what I mean.”

Mickey sighed loudly. “I dunno, man. What is there to say? We screwed her over.”

“After she blackmailed you.” Ian reminded him. 

“Because she was desperate. Trust me. I know how desperate works.”

Ian’s chest puffed out behind Mickey when he released his next breath. “So what do you think we should do?”

“We? This is a me problem. I don’t expect you to get caught up in Russian gangster pimp shit.”

“But you expect me to sit back and watch the man I love get caught up in it?”

Mickey felt his walls coming back up. The walls he used to protect himself were now being used to protect Ian. 

“Look, I appreciate what you’re doing but this isn’t about you. You’ve been around for a few months. You don’t know...”

“Fuck you.” Ian snapped and cut Mickey off. “You don’t get to tell me that. It’s about you so it’s about me. And don’t fucking think about cheapening what we’ve got and making out like we’re fooling around because it’s only been a few months. Fuck off.”

“Oh lookie here. Ian Gallagher pulling on his big boy pants.”

“Oh fuck off, Mick. I’ve been part of this since she came back. I might not know the whole backstory but I know what’s going on now. And I am not letting her fuck around with my family.”

“ _Your_ family?”

“Damn right. Whether you like it or not...”

Mickey swallowed his heart, which had leapt into his throat. “I like it.”

Ian’s hand slid down Mickey’s chest and under the water level to rest on his lower stomach. “I’m not going anywhere. Get used to it.”

The water cooled quickly and Mickey sat upright. Ian ran a finger down his spine and Mickey shivered. 

“You want me to go home tonight?” Ian mumbled. Mickey huffed loudly in the quiet room. “No. I never want you to go home.”

Ian stilled behind him. “You don’t?”

“Course not.”

“Oh. Alright.”

Yev was in a foul mood when he woke up the following day. Ian was still asleep in bed, flat on his stomach with his head half hidden under the pillow, so Mickey crept out of the room to stop Yev screaming. 

“Hey Sunshine, not so loud hm? We got Sleeping Beauty next door.” Mickey scooped up the red-faced boy and carried him to the kitchen. Yev continued to cry and yanked on Mickey’s short hair at the nape of his neck. 

“Oww!” Mickey hissed. “The fuck was that for? Come on, Sunshine. It’s gonna be a long ass day with you like this.”

Yev wriggled and twisted when Mickey tried to place him in his chair until he had to give up. He looked closely at his son and smiled when he saw the youngster was rubbing his eyes and yawning. With a glance at the clock on the stove display he jumped. 

“No fucking wonder. It’s 4 in the damn morning!”

Yev whimpered and beat his fist on Mickey’s bare chest. Mickey wandered back to Yev’s room and tried to put him in his crib, which only made the boy scream out like he was being murdered. 

“What? You want Ian, don’t you?” Mickey huffed. 

“Een.”

“I know.” Mickey sighed. “Dunno what I’d do without the lanky ginger fuck either.”

He carried the kid into his room and found Ian sitting up in bed, a crease mark running down his left cheek and his eyes crinkled with sleep. “You’d manage but you wouldn’t be happy about it.”

Mickey laughed and deposited the twisty child with Ian. “Hold the ticking bomb for me while I grab some milk for him.”

He went to the kitchen and started his routine of warming up milk for the kid, straining to hear what was happening in the bedroom. Ian was singing very softly and quietly. It was almost a murmur. 

“ _Ain’t no sunshine when he’s gone..._ ”

Mickey let out a giggle. His boyfriend was the corniest motherfucker. And he loved it. With the beaker filled and the lid screwed on, Mickey headed back to the room. He stopped in the doorway, bottle in hand and a smile on his face. Ian was on his back with the sheets pulled up to his chest. Tucked into his side with curls of hair sticking out everywhere was Yev. They were both fast asleep with their mouths open. It was a strangely touching scene. Mickey grabbed up Ian’s phone from the nightstand closest to him and enabled the camera function. The sentimental nerd would love it when he found the snaps in his camera roll later. 

It was a slow shift at work that day and Mickey needed to occupy his hands. He stripped down the beer pump to its individual parts and ran them through a boil cycle in the dish washer. It was laborious but it needed to be done and it kept him busy. Kevin was serving the few customers they did have and chatting about shit. Mickey wasn’t looking up when the door to the bar opened and slammed off the opposite wall, so he jolted in surprise when his name was shrieked across the bar. 

“MIKHAILO!”

Svetlana was storming over and his mouth went dry. She did not look happy. 

“YOU STOLE FROM ME!”

Mickey scoffed loudly. “Keep your fuckin voice down. Nobody wants to hear your shrieking.”

Frank slid closer and perched on a stool beside where Svetlana stood. “Don’t be so hasty. I would pay good money to hear her barking orders at me.”

Mickey rolled his eyes. “Firstly, you don’t got good money. Secondly, she’d snap you in half. Lastly, get the fuck outta this conversation before I check your bar tab and make you pay up on the spot.”

Frank stared at Mickey, who had his eyebrows arched in his standard don’t-mess-with-me position. “You have a lot of tension, Mickey. My son should really help you take care of that.”

Mickey tipped his head back and laughed. “Your son. That’s funny.”

Svetlana turned her icy glare on Frank. “Go somewhere else. Now.”

“Take a break, Mickey.” Kevin’s voice was commanding. It sounded odd to Mickey, his usual joviality missing. 

He pointed over to the empty booth in the corner and Svetlana stomped over on her stiletto heels. He joined her a moment later with a double shot of their cheapest vodka. He could play nice. 

“You stole my money,” Svetlana grit her teeth. “And I want it back.”

“Dunno what you’re talking about.” He replied dismissively. 

“You do know. You know very well. I need that money, Mikhailo. Today.”

Mickey folded his arms across his chest. “How is it my fault you can’t keep track of your stuff? I gave you every last cent I had. I’m gonna be working until I’m 104 to cover that. And you’re telling me you lost it?”

Svetlana slammed her hand on the table top. “Don’t fuck with me. I know you hate me. But you are messing with the wrong people here...”

“Oh? You threatening me?” 

Her eyes closed briefly and Mickey felt the energy drain from her. When her eyes opened it was like her mask slipped and he saw the fear. She was older than him by a couple of years but she seemed much older. 

“He’s going to kill me. One day. He will go too far. His disgusting friends will go too far. I need that money.”

Mickey licked at his dry lips. “I don’t have your money.”

It wasn’t a lie. It was back in Kevin’s account ready for the next order to be placed for kegs and salted peanuts. “What’s this guy about? What’s his deal?”

Svetlana smirked coldly. “Let me say only this. He makes me wish for your father to be my biggest problem.”

“Wow.” Mickey whistled through his teeth. “So, you got an escape plan?”

She sat back in her seat. “I have a friend from home, lives on West Coast. I planned to go to her.”

Mickey nodded. “Good plan. Get the hell outta Dodge, huh?”

“I have no idea what you are saying.” Svetlana drawled and Mickey laughed. It was an instant reminder of how they tried to live together after the wedding with very little success. 

“You can still go.”

“I need money to go. Flights. Rent. Food.”

Mickey sighed and pushed the glass of vodka closer to her. “Drink that. We’ll think of something.”

“We?” Svetlana huffed a laugh. “Why would you help me?”

Mickey narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Because one day my kid is gonna ask about his mother and I’m gonna look him in the eye knowing I did what I could to stop her getting killed.”

“Taking the moral high ground after you steal from me? You are a Milkovich after all.” She taunted. 

Mickey felt his anger flare and leaned across the table. “I don’t have your money. The money you got because you blackmailed me. If you don’t want my help then go. Nobody is keeping you here. Nobody even wants you here. Not me, not the kid. I don’t see you tripping over people tryna help you...”

He could see that hit the mark. She flinched and looked away. It niggled at him and he wondered when he became such a giant pussy that he could feel sorry for this woman. 

“What is your big idea? To get me out. He will look for me. I am big earner for him.”

Mickey snorted. “Try saying that with a little less pride in your voice, Jesus.”

Svetlana necked the vodka and exhaled sharply. “Fuck you.”

Mickey sneered at the woman. She really didn’t know what she was going to do and it showed. “I’m gonna make some calls. Meet me here tomorrow.”

“Who you calling, Santa Claus?”

“Jesus fuckin Christ. Quit your whiny ass bitchin’ will you?”

“Hobo Man is correct. You need to get Orange Boy to work harder.” She gave a crude handjob gesture. 

“He works plenty hard enough thank you. Don’t worry about it.” Mickey retorted. “Just make sure you stick to your end of the deal. No slowing down the court proceedings just cuz you’re feeling petty.”

“Cross my heart.” She replied with a wide, fake smile. 

Mickey got to his feet. “I gotta get back to work.”

“Tomorrow, then.”

“Fuckface, what up?”

Mickey sighed internally at Mandy’s greeting. He missed his sister, he honestly did. But they had personalities that clashed and the distance between them seemed to help their relationship. 

“Hey. You good?”

“Depends. You only call when you need something...”

“No I don’t, fuck you very much.” 

Only he did. And now he was caught out. 

“Come on. What do you need?” Mandy laughed, unconcerned. 

“It’s Svetlana. I need to get her out of Chicago.”

“In a body bag, I hope.”

He couldn’t hold back the snort that escaped him. Mandy hated Svetlana almost as much as he did. 

“Nah. In tact and out of my state would be ideal.”

Mandy clicked her tongue thoughtfully. “Talk me through it.”

So Mickey explained everything. Meeting Ian. Getting serious. Svetlana’s attempt to blackmail him. The scam to get the money back. And finishing with how he needed to get Svetlana out of Chicago and on her way to California before she got herself killed by a gangster pimp. 

“Christ on a cracker, Mick. That’s a whole lot of something.” Mandy exhaled. 

“Yeah.”

“And why do we care what happens to that commie skank?”

Mickey huffed a little laugh hearing the words he had thought about for a long time. “We don’t. But she’s my kid’s mom.”

“Your kid is too young to know the difference.”

“He is now. But he’s gonna ask about her eventually and I’m gonna have to lie to his face. I ain’t about that.”

Mandy must’ve understood the steeliness in his voice because she stopped her half-assed protestations. 

“So this guy...”

“Yeah, not going there. Not today. Bigger fish to fry and all that.” He cut her off abruptly and she laughed obnoxiously down the phone. 

“You’re so in love I can hear it from two states away!”

“Two states? Where the fuck are you now?”

Mandy giggled happily. “Would you believe me if I said Oklahoma?”

Mickey took a second to consider it. “Fuck no. Why are you there? Who did you upset?”

“Stop it. It’s nice! I live on a ranch. Can you even? Got a job as a fuckin milk maid! It’s a riot!” 

“I...I just don’t know what to say...” Mickey stammered. “You like, molest the cows?”

“Oh fuck you. It’s a job. Pays well and I get to stay for free at the ranch.”

“And don’t tell me, you’re fucking a cowboy?”

“Jealous?” Mandy snickered. 

“Not even a little bit.”

“Oh damn you’re gone for this guy!”

Mickey let his sister have the win, his silence giving her whatever confirmation she needed. 

“Pack her up and send her here. I’ll arrange transport to wherever she needs to go.” Mandy sighed heavily. 

“And you won’t kill her?”

“I promise I’ll try.”

Mickey laughed happily. “Thanks Mands.”

“No problem. And hey Mick? Maybe you and the kiddo could come visit me sometime...bring your guy too.”

Mickey coughed in surprise. He wasn’t used to Mandy sounding so sincere. “Yeah. That’d be good.”

“Gotta go, Assface. Luke is taking me out for dinner soon.”

“He treat you good?” Mickey chewed on his lip. Mandy had the worst taste in men. 

“Let’s me order whatever I want off the menu and always makes sure I come first. I found my Prince.” She teased. 

“Jesus. Goodbye!”

He hung up before he had to learn any more details he didn’t want to fucking hear. 

Svetlana didn’t show up at the bar like they’d arranged. She didn’t show the next day either and Mickey was starting to get pretty worked up about it. To make it worse, Suzy called him to say there was a slot available at family court the following day to formalize his parental rights. He dressed in his suit and Ian went with him, holding Yev while Mickey was processed. It was straightforward enough but Mickey kept looking at the door, expecting Svetlana to appear and demand her son. She didn’t. The judge gave the file a cursory glance, questioned Mickey about his living arrangements and financial situation. Suzy had it all in the file but the judge needed to ask, so Mickey reeled off the answers like they appeared on paper. In less than an hour it was signed and sealed. Mickey had full parental rights over his son, 100% custody and the certificates to prove it. 

“How does it feel?” Ian kissed his forehead when they were outside the courthouse. 

“Good.” Mickey confirmed. “Like I can breathe.”

Ian dipped his head and kissed him on the mouth. “Wanna grab a burger to celebrate? Diner is like two blocks away...”

“Sure. Only...I’m worried about The Bitch. Think maybe you can watch the kid later while I see if I can track her down?”

Ian’s eyebrows danced. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“I dunno. Maybe not. But I can’t stop thinking about her so I guess I need to fix that.”

“Just what every guy wants to hear...his boyfriend can’t stop thinking about his wife.”

Mickey chuckled at Ian’s obvious joke. “I never said my life was simple.”

“Alright, but you can’t chase down errant ex-wives on an empty stomach. Let’s eat first.”

The house was a dump. Mickey got her address from the court documents rather than involve Carl and his friends again. Standing on the porch, Mickey was horrified to see it was even more run down than the Milkovich house at its worst. He rang the doorbell and swallowed down his discomfort, which felt suspiciously like burger onions rifting. The door was pulled open and a huge figure filled the space. 

“Da?”

“Hey yo. Looking for Svetlana. She around?”

Mickey went for calm and casual and hoped for the best. Immediately the figure stepped out onto the porch. 

“Who the fuck are you?”

“Just looking for Svetlana. Need her to sign some paperwork.” Mickey spoke evenly. 

The guy was ridiculously big. Like a Baltic version of Dwayne Johnson. He crossed his arms and cracked his neck. “She’s working.”

“Oh? Any chance I can catch her between belly rubs? Only I gotta get this filed before Monday.”

“What is it?”

“Kinda personal is what it is. So am I gonna see her or not?”

“Wait.”

Mickey paced the porch and waited. A moment later the door opened and Svetlana appeared. Her face was puffed up and her left cheek badly bruised. A bloody cut split her bottom lip. Now Mickey may have certain feelings of hatred towards the woman in front of him but she was a woman all the same. Hitting women was not right. It wasn’t something he could justify. 

“What the fuck happened to...? Who did this to you?”

Svetlana grabbed his arm and tugged him away from the door. “Shut your mouth, fucking idiot!”

“Was it him?”

“Don’t pretend you understand.” She snapped with a glare. “This is life I live. You think is all beds of roses?”

Mickey pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. “Okay, The Rock is watching so you’re gonna have to sign this piece of paper and pretend that’s why I’m here...”

He handed over the only piece of paper he had in his pocket, which was a sticky note Ian had left on the mirror in the bathroom with a crude drawing of what Mickey could expect when he got home from work. Even though he turned it over, Svetlana saw it and looked at Mickey in dismay. “If he is big like this in real life you must not sit for days. Unless he exaggerates.”

Mickey blushed furiously and pulled a pen out of his pocket. “He’s not exaggerating.”

“Lucky Mikhailo.” Svetlana tried to tease but she looked so pitiful it was painful. 

“Can you get away tomorrow?”

“I don’t know. He has me working all day and night.”

“Svetlana, I’m trying here. I really am. I got a plan and everything. But you gotta help me help you.” He ground out. 

Her high-pitched giggle was nauseating and fake. “Help me?”

“Yes, you stupid fuckin moron! I’m sticking my neck out for you. Why is that so difficult for you to understand?”

She stilled, looking at him with her large cold eyes. “Because I have done nothing to deserve your help.”

Mickey coughed as a lump formed in his throat. “I don’t disagree. But I’m doing this for the kid.”

She nodded once. “Okay. I get break at 3. I smoke at back of house. I will be ready.”

Mickey stuffed the note back in his pocket. “I’ll be there.”

“Where going on a what to where with whom?”

Ian looked utterly confused and Mickey almost laughed. “A road trip to Oklahoma with, technically, my wife.”

“You have got to be fucking with me.”

“I guess I could suck you off at a rest stop...”

“Mickey! What the fuck?” Ian snapped. 

“Vee is gonna look after the kid, Kevin is letting me use his truck. We’re gonna pick up The Bitch and drive her out to some ranch in near Tulsa. My sister is there. She’s gonna get her to California.” Mickey explained casually. 

Ian rolled his eyes. “I can’t just go to Tulsa! I have work!”

“Tell them you’re sick. Tell them you got Aids or some shit.”

“Aids? Really? You know any other gay stereotypes or just that one?” Ian glowered at him. 

“I’m joking. Obviously. But tell them you’re sick and come with me. I can’t be in a confined space with her for ten hours and have it so we both come out alive.”

Ian regarded him coolly for a long time. “Fine. But you suck my dick at every rest stop.”

Mickey grinned and drew Ian in for a kiss. “You got it.”

“And when we get back maybe we can talk about us.”

“What about us?” Mickey was on high alert. “We got a problem?”

“Nope. The future, I mean.” 

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I kinda think I don’t wanna go home.” Ian smirked cryptically. 

“You are making no sense.”

“I want us to live together. I wanna wake up with you every day because that’s my home too.”

Mickey breathed a sigh of relief and ran his shaky hand through Ian’s short hair. “Yeah. We can definitely talk about that.”

Ian grabbed Mickey up against his lean body and kissed him like his life depended on it. “Okay. Make sure you bring a shovel. If we do end up killing her we’re gonna need to bury the body.”


	14. Two Queers A’Milking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mickey smuggles Svetlana out of Chicago and gets to see how different Mandy’s life is now.

The cab of the truck was pretty cramped but Mickey was focused on the journey ahead. He wanted them out of the city limits and on the road out of state as fast as they could go. Once Svetlana was missed at the whorehouse it was only a matter of time before The Russian Rock went looking for her. Mickey covered their tracks, making sure nobody saw her leaving the place and nobody saw him in the area. The last thing he needed was anyone figuring out he had any involvement and went after him. Or Yev. Especially Yev. 

“Do you have to?” Svetlana snapped, pushing herself closer to the door. 

“What?” Mickey yelled indignantly. 

“Touch each other. All the time!”

Mickey glanced down at where Ian’s large freckled hand was resting on his thigh. “Excuse me? _This_ offends _you_?”

Her eyes blazed. “It’s just constant! How doesn’t it annoy you?”

Mickey glanced at Ian and they shared a laugh. “Heard it all now. A whore offended by some over the clothes touching.”

Ian grinned at Svetlana and moved his hand up and down Mickey’s leg. “You’re gonna be so mad later...”

Mickey grinned back at his boyfriend, thrilled that he had agreed to come along. If they got to fuck with Svetlana along the way, even better. 

“I need to pee.” Ian said firmly. 

“We stopped an hour ago!” Svetlana growled. 

Ian smiled widely. “And now I need to stop again.”

Mickey pointed down the road. “Gas station in five miles.”

Ian rearranged himself in his jeans and smirked. “Guess I can hold on.”

“You’d better.” Mickey winked. 

Svetlana’s head hit the glass and made a loud crack to go with her deep groan. “God, kill me now.”

The gas station was what you would expect to find on the side of a road in the middle of nowhere. The shop part was in a separate building to the restrooms and Svetlana rolled her eyes as she headed to the shop, Mickey and Ian making a dash for the other building. There wasn’t much to the restroom. A wall with urinals to the left, two hand sinks to the right and three stalls along the back wall. The floor was tiled and someone had made an effort to keep it clean, judging by the swished mop marks left in the dirt. 

“You know the rules.” Ian’s voice broke into Mickey’s silence as he surveyed the space. 

“I ain’t kneeling on this.” Mickey pointed to the floor. 

Ian grinned. “So think of something else...”

Noises from outside got louder so Mickey grabbed Ian by the arm and shoved him into a stall, locking the door behind them. It was cramped, especially with Ian’s giraffe body, but they worked around it until Ian had grabbed Mickey up off his feet and placed him so he stood on the toilet seat. That made Mickey slightly taller than Ian and he couldn’t resist kissing him like this. The change in dynamic was hot and Mickey got to experience how much control Ian usually had over their kissing. 

“Maybe, just this once, you suck me off?” Mickey whispered in Ian’s ear. 

Ian bit back a chuckle and nodded, just as heavy footsteps got closer and another man entered the room. Mickey froze and Ian held him steady. The sound of the guy unzipping was loud in the quiet room and both men had to avoid eye contact with each other so they didn’t giggle when what sounded like a fire hose being unleashed at the urinal filled the silence. It went on forever. The guy had obviously been saving up for one stop and he was probably the record holder for the longest piss in world history. The gentle sigh of satisfaction when he was finished nearly set the two of them off again and Mickey had to bury his face in Ian’s neck to control himself. The zip was up and the guy was washing his hands. They were almost alone again. 

“Have fun, boys!” The guy called out and his footsteps faded away. 

“How did he...?” Ian was amazed but Mickey was busy unzipping himself. 

“Doesn’t matter. Come on.”

Suddenly Mickey felt the cool air when his dick pushed out of the gap he’d made in his jeans. Ian squeezed his waist and gasped. 

“Fuck that’s hot.”

“Suck it.” Mickey begged. “Please.”

Ian ducked down and took Mickey’s warm flesh into his mouth, bobbing his head rapidly until it was at full hardness. 

“Jesus Ian.” Mickey groaned and scraped his blunt nails through the short red hairs on the back of Ian’s neck. 

“So hard.” Ian swallowed around him. “So good.”

“Keep. Going. Almost. There.”

It was the most awkward position Mickey had ever attempted to get off in, including the times in the park when guys were so worried about recognized that Mickey was almost snapped in half so there’d be no chance of any eye contact. But Ian held him tightly and made sure he didn’t slip. It was a beautiful feeling, if Mickey was thinking about it spiritually. A teasing brush of Ian’s fingertips over his hole and it was game over. Mickey came with a silent groan that made his chest hurt while Ian moaned with pleasure as he swallowed every drop. Mickey’s legs shook violently. Ian swept him up and placed him safely back on solid ground. 

“What about you?” Mickey whispered when Ian started to straighten himself up. 

“There’s another rest stop in about thirty miles.” He winked. “Gonna build up some tension so be ready...”

“Svetlana is gonna be so pissed.” Mickey giggled and joined Ian at the sink to wash their hands. 

When they got back to the truck Svetlana was glaring at them from the cab, so they swung their linked hands and grinned back at her. 

“It must be out of your system now.” She muttered when they climbed in. 

Mickey started up the engine and smirked. “Should be good for another thirty miles or so.”

“You fuck more than I do, and it’s my job!” She yelled in dismay. 

They finally made it to the cattle ranch Mandy had directed them to after almost fifteen hours on the road. Ian had taken a share of the driving so Mickey could nap but he was so amped up (a mix of five risky rest stops and the whole Svetlana thing) that he was exhausted when they arrived. 

“Assface!” Mandy skipped down the grit road from the main house and leapt into Mickey’s arms. 

“Skank, how goes it?” He grinned and spun her around.

They hugged for a long moment and Mickey felt that bite of emotion that filled his chest. It was something Ian had unlocked and now it seemed Mickey could apply it to everyone in his life that he loved. He wasn’t sure which he preferred. They both looked around when the crunch of footsteps on the path got louder. 

“Oh wow. You scored a hottie.” Mandy said in what she probably thought was a whisper but the smile on Ian’s face said he’d heard her. “Well done, Mickey.”

“Hey! You must be Mandy.” Ian greeted brightly. 

“The one and only. And you must be my brother’s...”

Mickey cut her off quickly. “Ian. He’s Ian.”

Mandy grinned wickedly and held out her hand. “Pleasure.”

Ian shook it and stepped aside. Mickey saw the contempt on his sister’s face when she came face to face with Svetlana. 

“Hello again Mandy.”

“Hello again Bitch.”

Mickey needed a diversion so he nodded to the ranch. “Nice place you’ve got here.”

“Eh you know. I make do.” She looped her arm through Mickey’s and pulled him to the main building. “Luke won’t be back for a while so I’ll show you where you’re gonna sleep tonight.”

Mickey glanced at Ian, who shrugged with a smile. They’d planned to drop Svetlana like a hot brick and get the hell out of Oklahoma. But seeing Mandy again and feeling the ease that Ian exuded being there made him think again. He nodded once at Ian and they followed Mandy, a silent agreement to stay the night made. 

The ranch was pretty big with modern decor inside. The kitchen took up the whole of the back of the house and the smell of fresh bread filled the air. 

“Something smells good.” Ian grinned. 

“I made some peach cobbler and soda bread this morning.” Mandy told them. 

“Who the fuck are you?” Mickey barked a laugh. 

Mandy flipped him off and he laughed. His little sister was still there somewhere, hidden beneath her cobbler and fancy kitchen. She led them down the hall and pointed to doors as she passed. The bathroom was on the left, Mandy and Luke’s room on the right and two spare rooms at the end of the corridor. Mandy pointed to one and looked at Svetlana. 

“Yours.”

Svetlana had the decency to smile graciously. Without a word she stepped into the room and closed the door. 

Mickey realized she was probably under a lot of stress and having Mandy’s oppressive hatred topping up his own meant she was probably feeling very low right now. Mickey continued into the other room with Ian at his heels and smirked when he saw the floral bedspread, curtains, wallpaper and carpet. All different patterns, all different color schemes. It was a visual explosion. 

“Pick this out yourself?” Mickey teased his sister. 

“Fuck you.” She retorted. “This used to be Luke’s mom’s room. She died a few weeks ago.”

“Of a seizure?” Mickey couldn’t stop his head twisting to take in all of the room. 

“Cancer, dumbass.”

“Sorry to hear that, Mandy.” Ian spoke softly. “Did you two get on well?”

Mandy sniffed and nodded. “She was amazing. Didn’t tell her son to run a mile when he brought home a Southside slut. She taught me how to make peach cobbler.”

Ian looped his arm around her shoulder and squeezed. “I’m sure it’s delicious.”

“It’s a goddamn fuckin treat.” Mandy leaned into Ian and made Mickey’s heart swell at their instant bonding. “I’ll let you settle in. Gonna start dinner.”

When the door closed Mickey tossed himself on the bed. 

“Think she died in here?” Ian mused. 

“Probably.” Mickey yawned. 

“Damn. I wanted to fuck you in the flower room.”

Mickey sat up on his elbows. “How the fuck are those two things related?”

Ian tilted his head. “It’s just weird...”

Mickey smirked darkly. “My mom died in my room and you have no problems fucking me in there.”

“ _What_?” Ian shrieked. “What?!”

Mickey flopped back on the bed. “Just another edition of My Fucked Up Life.”

Ian shrugged off his jacket and crawled up Mickey’s prone body, sucking a kiss to his neck. Mickey stroked his fingers over the ginger fuzz on Ian’s neck. “I love you.”

Ian lifted his head, a beaming smile on his beautiful face. “I love you.”

They lay there for a long time, Ian’s weight pressing Mickey into the mattress. They enjoyed the touch of each other without getting naked. Just when they were about to fall asleep a roaring engine came up the side of the house. 

“Must be Luke.” Mickey yawned. 

“Wonder what he’s like.”

“Fuckin’ retarded if he brought Mandy home to meet his mother.” 

It was a joke. It was how Mickey and his siblings had grown up - teasing and ragging on each other to the point of distaste. But now it felt a little like a betrayal. Mandy was helping him out in his hour of need and he felt like he should respect that more. Ian nudged him in the ribs as he got to his feet. 

“Be nice. This is his home.”

They headed back to the kitchen and stopped in the doorway when they saw Mandy in the arms of a tall man, dancing around the space next the stove. She was smiling so brightly and giggling softly when the guy kissed her neck. 

“Aww.” Ian whispered and leaned into Mickey’s side. “She looks so happy.”

Mickey couldn’t stop staring. This was his sister but she was a totally different person to the one who packed her shit and got out of the Southside. It was awe-inspiring. 

“Oh sorry guys!” A deep, Southern voice laughed. “I’m Luke. Welcome!”

Mickey was rooted to the spot but Ian was quick off the mark. He crossed the room and held out his hand. 

“Hey, I’m Ian. This is Mickey. Thank you for having us in your home.”

They shook hands and Mickey followed. Luke was filling the room with happy energy. 

“It’s a pleasure. Always happy to help out.”

They sat around the table and ate dinner together, with the exception of Svetlana who took her plate to her room and ate alone. Luke was curious about the stranger in his home but Mandy warned him off asking too many questions. 

“Honestly, the less you know...”

Mickey nodded his agreement. “She’s got a habit of screwing people over.”

Luke’s mouth formed an O. “Right then. Anyone for more stew?”

Mandy had made a traditional Irish stew using lamb from the farm and vegetables she grew herself. Luke told Mickey and Ian with so much pride in his voice how she’d turned his life around since they’d met a year earlier. 

“Honest to God, I was about ready to pack this life in. I was tired of the early mornings and long days. But Mandy...she came along and gave me something worth getting out of bed for. She made this place into a home I wanted to live in. And my mom loved her.”

Mickey swallowed a lump in his throat. “That’s nice.”

“So tell me...how’d you two boys meet?”

Ian glanced at Mickey and started to laugh. “Interesting story...”

Mickey rolled his eyes. “I was a damsel in distress and Ian was the knight in ginger armor.”

“I gotta hear this!” Luke laughed warmly. 

And Mickey discovered that he didn’t mind telling him the story. 

“RISE AND SHINE, MOTHERFUCKERS!”

The yelling voice was followed up by loud banging on the door to each bedroom. Mickey tried to bury himself deeper under the covers but he was trapped in place by Ian’s warm naked body. 

“She’s not going away.” Ian groaned. 

“UP UP UP!”

Mickey growled under his breath and crawled out of bed, pulling on the first pair of boxers he found on the floor. The extra room in the legs made everyone aware they were actually Ian’s. He threw open the door and found Svetlana standing in her doorway too. 

“What the fuck time is it?” He snapped. 

“4:30.” Mandy grinned cheerfully. “Get dressed. Eggs will be ready in ten minutes.”

“FOUR THIRTY IN THE MORNING?” Mickey hissed. 

“Yes. Come on. Chop chop.”

“There’s only one 4:30 in a day and it comes with a little more fuckin daylight. What the hell is this?”

Mandy chuckled happily. “Cows don’t milk themselves. You stay on the ranch, you work on the ranch.”

She walked away before Mickey could come up with a response. He glared at Svetlana, who looked equally shell-shocked. 

“You have so much to answer for.” He muttered and stomped back into the flower explosion bedroom. 

After eggs, toasted soda bread and coffee Mandy led them out to the cattle barn. Luke was already there with a huge smile on his face. 

“Hey there! Good morning!”

Mickey yawned and shuddered. “If you say so.”

Luke chuckled. “Early starts around here. You get used to it.”

“No I won’t.” Mickey replied but cracked a small smile. He really liked Luke and he didn’t want to come across as ungrateful. Having a Russian hooker on the run from a sex trafficking gang staying at your home was more than enough of a favor without being a dick about helping out. 

Svetlana shook her head when Luke patted the small stool next to Mandy. “Oh no. No no no.”

Ian was already getting ready to start on the other stool beside Mandy. Mickey was slightly in awe of his easy nature and his ability to just get on with whatever shit was thrown his way. “Come on, give it a try.”

Svetlana curled her lip and sat down. “This is in humane.”

“Shut the fuck up and get milking.” Mickey snapped. “You’ve milked enough dick to know how this works.”

Luke’s eyebrows shot up and Mickey wondered if Mandy had told him anything about the crazy Russian bitch. Wordlessly, she followed Mandy’s instructions and smiled when she eventually got some milk out of the udder of a huge cow. Mickey got quite into it too and Luke noticed. 

“You have a great technique, Mickey.”

Ian grinned a huge cheesy, proud smile. “He does, doesn’t he?”

Mickey rolled his eyes and Mandy outwardly groaned. Svetlana sniffed and shook her head. 

“You think this is bad, you try being in car for half a day with them. Groping and touching all the way. Gross.”

Mickey waved his arm dismissively. “What the fuck ever.”

Luke took in the scene with amusement. It was clear he’d never met people like them before and they were entertaining the hell out of him. 

Later, over a light lunch of grilled chicken and salad that Mandy threw together like a contestant on Hell’s Kitchen, they chatted about how much fun the morning had been. The frostiness towards Svetlana even seemed to be thawing. 

“You know,” Ian said thoughtfully as he drizzled some balsamic glaze over his chicken. “I’m surprised you milk the cows by hand. Don’t they have machines that do it for you now?”

Mandy and Luke shared a look and their mouths started to twitch simultaneously. Mickey caught it and coughed indignantly. 

“There is a machine.” He spelled out slowly. 

Mandy giggled and grabbed Luke’s hand. “Yup.”

“Why? Why would you do that to us?” Svetlana cried. 

Mandy shook with laughter. “This. This right here. It’s funny as all hell!”

And damn it, the whole table started to join in with the laughter. 

Saying goodbye to Mandy was much harder than Mickey could ever have predicted. He thought by now they would be at each other’s throats. Old rivalries and clashing personalities didn’t just go away. But when she took him for a walk around the ranch, just the two of them, he got an insight into the new Mandy. 

“You know how lost we used to feel?”

Mickey wasn’t sure he was ready to talk about their childhood just yet. Mandy seemed to sense his reticence. 

“I mean, that feeling deep down inside us that was just...emptiness maybe?”

Mickey knew that feeling well. “Hmm.”

“This place. Luke. _Especially_ Luke. He’s filled the emptiness I felt. He makes me feel like I’m the only person in the world that matters. He asks my opinion on stuff. Me! Can you believe that? Like my opinion ever mattered to anyone!”

“Mandy...” 

“No. I wanna say this. I want you to know. So you don’t go home thinking I’m the same person who abandoned you when you were a fucked up gay kid forced into a fucked up straight marriage.”

“That wasn’t on you to fix.” Mickey stated firmly. 

“Maybe not. But I didn’t stick around to help you either. So I need you to know that I’m sorry. And I love you.”

Mickey was stunned. He couldn’t remember ever exchanging those sentiments with his sister. Or anyone in his family. He stopped walking and stared at her. 

“Are you dying?”

Mandy burst into soft laughter. “No I am not, fuck you very much! I’m being sincere.”

“You’re gonna give yourself heartburn.” He grinned. 

Mandy linked his arm and gave a half squeeze. “I’ve said my piece. I know you know what I mean, because I see what Ian’s done to you. And I don’t just mean that huge hickey.”

He dodged her finger as it went to jab him on the neck. “Ay cut it out.”

Mandy smiled dreamily. “He’s good for you.”

Mickey nodded once. “He is. Yev worships him like he’s some kinda Gay Jesus.”

“Good. I’m glad. Next time you come out here you gotta bring my nephew with you. He’s gonna love the cows.”

“He’s more of a penguin kinda guy actually.”

Mandy rolled her eyes. “I’ll see about rounding one up.”

They’d completed the loop and made it back to the main house. Mandy hugged Mickey tightly and swiped away a stray tear. 

“Don’t leave it long before you come back.”

“I won’t.”

“Only...I’m not sure when I’ll be ready to come back to Chicago.”

Mickey nodded, understanding completely. “I’ll be back soon.”

They hugged again and Mickey went over to say goodbye to his, technically, wife. 

“Divorce will be done soon. Text me your new address and I’ll forward the decree when it comes through.”

She nodded and he turned away, but she grabbed his arm. “Thank you, Mikhailo.”

“Whatever. Just don’t give these guys any hassle. They’re doing you a huge solid here.” He warned. 

“I know.”

He was about to leave again when Svetlana spoke up. 

“Tell Yevgeny...when he is older...I am sorry. I want him to know it was never his fault I could not be his mother. It is all me. He should know he is perfect in every way.”

“Maybe one day when he’s older you can tell him yourself.” Mickey left the words hanging in the air. No promises. No commitments. Just a maybe. He thanked Luke profusely for everything and got into the truck with Ian. 

“Ready?” He smiled. 

Ian’s large hand slid up Mickey’s thigh and squeezed. “First rest stop is in twenty miles.”

Mickey laughed joyously and started up the engine. “I like the way you think.”


	15. Forever and a Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s back to Chicago, and a new reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnd...we’re almost done! Just my usual teeny tiny epilogue to finish it all off left to come. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone for reading my latest yarn. Would love to know what you think!
> 
> Much love 🧡

The journey home was much quicker than the trip out. After mutual blow jobs at the first rest stop and some serious edging from Ian while Mickey was driving they ended up pulled over on the side of a deserted highway and turning to bend over the seat. 

“Grab the lube, bitch.”

Ian’s deep chuckle filled the cab and he reached into his bag to pull out the well-used tube. The cracking of the plastic top made Mickey tingle with excitement. With practised ease Ian pulled down Mickey’s pants and used his fingers to stretch him open. 

“You know, I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea of you topping me.”

Mickey snorted and wriggled back on Ian’s fingers. “Fuck that. If I wanted to get my dick wet I woulda stayed locked up.”

Ian paused, his fingers deep inside Mickey. “What does that mean?”

“Means I ain’t nobody’s bitch. I had to do all the fucking in juvie.”

Ian’s deep laugh returned. “Seriously? I’m nearly up to my elbow in your ass and you’re worried about being somebody’s bitch?”

“You wanna talk strategy some more or you wanna get on me?”

With that challenge set there was only one outcome. Ian rolled on a condom and unceremoniously shoved at Mickey until he was arched enough for Ian to get inside him. 

“Ohhhhhh fuck yeah.” Mickey exhaled, the tension of the last few days leaving his body. It probably sounds strange. Shoving something large and hard up your ass isn’t usually synonymous with relaxation but this was absolutely Mickey’s happy place. One of them, anyway. The other was with his son but those two happy places would never ever be combined. This feeling right now, the feeling of connection and closeness to Ian, was what he had been missing his entire life and it was not something anyone else could replicate. He loved his son. He loved that he had friends now. He loved Mandy. He even had a soft spot for Luke and he only just met the guy. It was becoming so easy for him to open himself up to being around other people. But this feeling he had with Ian was a level up. An understanding that only they had. Intense. Scary. Beautiful. 

“You’re in your head.” Ian mumbled, biting down on Mickey’s earlobe. 

“Hmm?”

“What are you thinking about?”

Mickey choked a little when Ian dipped lower and changed the angle of his thrusts. “That I love you.”

“Oh.” 

Ian didn’t say more that that just then. He leaned back for more leverage and really nailed Mickey’s sweet spot. Kevin wouldn’t care if he returned the truck with the odd mark here and there but he really didn’t want to give it back with jizz all over the seats. So Mickey pulled away from Ian and turned them over so Ian was on his back, in the corner of the cab. Mickey crawled into his lap and sank down on Ian’s dick like it was nothing. 

“Fuck Mickey. Fucking hell.” Ian fumbled to grab onto something and ended up with one handful of Mickey’s shirt and one on the door handle. The truck door Mickey had been leaning on swung open and Mickey toppled, heading for the exit. 

“Fuck!” He shrieked, closing his eyes and bracing for impact as the nothingness in front of him got closer. 

The hard concrete floor didn’t budge as Mickey’s head collided with it. Pain instantly bloomed across his forehead and he could smell the metallic scent of blood he’d grown up all too familiar with. 

“Mickey! Fuck!” 

The redhead scrambled out of the cab and pulled up his pants. If it wasn’t for the fact Mickey was bleeding all over the floor, the whole scene would be comical. Mickey’s pants were still around his ankles and his dick, rapidly softening, was blowing in the breeze. 

“You tried to kill me!” Mickey screeched. 

“No I didn’t!” Ian dropped to his knees. “I didn’t mean to open the door!”

“Fuck. My head!” Mickey’s hand came away from his forehead covered in blood. “Shit!”

“Come on. Get up. We need to put your dick away before someone finds us.” Ian helped him to his feet and Mickey swatted him away. 

“I can put my own dick away.”

Ian ignored him and helped pull up his jeans anyway. He manoeuvred Mickey until he was sitting on the truck bed and peered closely at the wound. 

“It’s not too bad. You’ve split your eyebrow open. And that bleeds like a motherfucker.” Ian told him. 

“Oh really. Thanks for that Dr Doom.”

Ian folded his arms across his chest. “Look, I didn’t do this on purpose. If it was down to me we’d still be in there banging our brains out. It was an accident. So drop the attitude.”

Mickey levelled him with a death stare but Ian bravely held firm. Finally Mickey looked away and scowled when more blood ran down his face and dropped onto his hand. “We need to find a rest stop. Somewhere I can get steri-strips.”

“Or we can get your ass to an emergency room like a normal person!”

Mickey recoiled in horror. “Fuck that shit. You think I’m made of money? A few months back I was begging your ass to get my heat on!”

Ian ignored the obvious joke about packing heat to be had and instead looked chastened. “But you’re hurt...”

“Yeah. And I’ve been hurt before. But I didn’t go to any ER. You drive. I’ll be fine when I patch it up.”

Ian didn’t look convinced but with some prodding he ended up in the driving seat. 

“You okay?” Ian asked, a few miles along the road. 

Mickey looked at him, still feeling blood tricking down his face. “Just peachy.”

A couple of miles later Ian spoke again. “I’m sorry. Really.”

Mickey sighed heavily. “Shut up. I know.”

“You sure I can’t take you to the emergency room.”

“Say that again and I’ll cut your tongue out.”

Ian probably deemed that a credible threat because he shut up immediately. Mickey stemmed the flow of blood with his sleeve. As Ian sped down the highway the silence became stifling. It had never been like that between them. Their silences were easy. Comfortable, even. This wasn’t right. Mickey knew it was down to him and he had to fix it. 

“Sorry I yelled.”

Ian cut a sideways glance. “Okay.”

“I freaked out when I saw the blood.” Mickey admitted. “I used to be a walking punch bag when my dad was around. Been a long time since I saw blood. Didn’t like it.”

“Oh.” Ian reached out a hand. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I know.” Mickey nodded. “I overreacted.”

Ian smiled when Mickey took his hand. Mickey squeezed and rested their clasped hands on his leg. 

“Still love me?”

Mickey scoffed at Ian’s question. “Gonna take more than that to get me to think you’re not the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Right. Maybe throw you out of a moving vehicle next time.” Ian grinned teasingly. 

Mickey flipped his off with a bloody middle finger. Just like that, they were back to normal. 

The next rest stop was a shabby shack of a place with a very questionable hygiene rating. Ian went inside and bought supplies while Mickey waited in the truck. He used his phone to look at his reflection, grimacing at the state of his face. A bruise had popped up immediately and the blood had started to crust around his eye. Just then, the phone in his hand started to ring and Kevin’s name was on the screen. 

“Hello?”

Kevin’s voice was a booming familiarity that Mickey needed to hear. “Mickey! How is Operation Hooker Dump going?”

Mickey couldn’t hold back his laugh. “Good. The package has been delivered to the depot.”

Kevin snickered too. “Good man.”

“What’s up? Is the kid okay?”

“Sunshine of my life. Honestly. I love my girls but damn I wanna little boy so bad.”

“Well you can’t keep him. I’ve missed the little monster like crazy.” Mickey joked. 

“I know. Just need to work on Vee. She’ll agree eventually.”

Mickey hummed and was about to move on when something stopped him. It dawned on him that he needed a friend and Kevin was just the man. 

“I...uh...well...”

“Spit it out. Use your words.”

“Fuck off. I...um...”

“Jesus Mick. I’ve had more fluent conversations with your baby today.”

“Fuck off!”

Kevin started to giggle and instead of annoying Mickey it actually made him laugh. Because that’s what friends do, right? Make fun of each other. 

“Me and Ian have been talking. We wanna live together.” Mickey blurted out. 

“Oh!”

“And I guess I just wanted an opinion from a friend. But I guess you’ll do.”

Kevin’s booming laugh returned. 

“So you think we’re crazy? It’s been like a hot minute since we got together. It’s crazy, right?”

“Hmm. Well I dunno. You pretty much live together now. How is that?”

“Better than living with my brothers, that’s for damn sure.”

Kevin coughed loudly. “I should fuckin hope so! Seriously though, you don’t wanna set yourself up for a fall.”

Mickey sighed quietly down the phone, watching Ian through the grimy window of the shop as he picked up various items. “It’s fucking incredible, Kev.”

“Then I think you’ve answered the question.”

Mickey fell silent. There wasn’t much more to it. 

“Life’s too short, Mick. And your life hasn’t had much good about it so far. Maybe you should be grabbing any opportunity if it might make you happy.”

Mickey started to laugh. “Alright. This is getting a little gay even for me. You sure the kid is okay?”

“He’s fine. I promise. I was just checking in.” Kevin replied. 

“Thanks, Kev.”

“Let me fucking do it.” Ian snapped and swatted Mickey’s hand away. 

It was only because his favorite eyebrow was incapacitated that stopped Mickey arching it. He watched as Ian carefully poured bottled water out onto some paper towels and touched it to his face. It was a tender moment of Ian caring for him that brought a lump to Mickey’s throat. Ian worked quietly. Diligently. He used the tiny scissors on his Swiss Army knife to cut up a band aid into strips and then smiled softly at Mickey. 

“This bit is gonna hurt.”

Mickey smirked and reached out to cup Ian’s cock through his jeans. “Think we both know what my pain threshold is, big guy.”

Ian scoffed and burst into gales of laughter. “Fair enough. Let go of my dick now. Don’t want you ripping it off when the pain hits.”

Mickey did as he was told and only winced a little when Ian pinched the cut together and stuck the strips across the jagged, bloody flesh. 

“Still think you need stitches.”

“This will have to work for now.”

Ian nodded and used another paper towel to clean down the rest of Mickey’s face. Slowly, he leaned closer and pressed his lips to Mickey’s. 

“I really am sorry. It’s gonna scar.”

“Chicks dig scars.” Mickey shrugged nonchalantly and made Ian laugh again. “Come on. I gotta get home before Yev starts calling Kev dad.”

The rest of the drive back was quiet and subdued but actually made Mickey feel closer to Ian. They made it back to their neighborhood late in the evening and pulled up outside Kev and Vee’s place. 

“That was a wild ride, Mick.” Ian grinned. 

Mickey smiled back at his boyfriend. “Yeah. Glad you came along.”

Ian looked up the street to the Gallagher house and sighed. “I should go check in with the rabble.”

Mickey felt his mouth dry up and his heart start to hammer in his chest. He opened his mouth but nothing came out. Ian hesitated and Mickey knew he was waiting for him to speak. To stop him from leaving. But the words didn’t come. Ian smiled again, a little sadly this time, and leaned over to kiss Mickey. 

“If that’s not better tomorrow you need an ER.”

Mickey saluted him and watched as he climbed out of the truck. 

“Love you.” Ian waved and headed down the sidewalk. 

Mickey punched the steering wheel. “Fuckin pussy.”

Vee swung the door open and grabbed Mickey up in a hug so tight his eyes nearly popped out. 

“You did a wonderful thing.”

Mickey coughed when he was released. “Uh thanks.”

“Hold up. What the hell happened to your face?”

Mickey smirked and shrugged. “I was the victim of a domestic incident.”

“Ian knocked you around? That’s what you’re telling me?” Vee folded her arms, challenging him. 

“Yeah right. We were...you know...and I fell.”

She burst into laughter and squeezed his arm. “A sex injury! Hilarious!”

Mickey pointed inside her house. “How is he?”

“Asleep.” Vee led him inside. “Go up and see him. Then go see Ian and come back in the morning.”

“But...”

Vee rubbed his arm lovingly. “Kevin told me what you guys have been talking about.”

“Oh.”

She pointed to the stairs. “Go see your sunshine.”

Yev was sleeping peacefully on his back with his beloved Penny tucked under his chin. Mickey moved slowly and carefully to lean over him and smiled down at the little boy. After spending the last couple of days with his mother, Mickey found it was easy to see a few of her traits in his son. But he was a Milkovich through and through with those eyebrows. He wondered for a moment what Yev would think about his parents and the situation they were in. He didn’t want Yev to hate Svetlana. There was enough hate in his own heart, he didn’t want his son to be burdened by it as well. 

“You okay with Een coming to live with us?” He whispered and the little boy just blew out some air in reply. Mickey smiled and pulled the blanket up under his chin. “Take that as a yes. Sweet dreams, sunshine.”

Mickey left the room quietly and headed back to the kitchen where Vee was making dinner for when Kevin got home from the bar. 

“He’s fine.” She assured him. “Go on. Go get your man.”

The front door to the Gallagher house opened when Mickey’s fist hit the wood. 

“Hello?”

Nobody replied and he found himself muttering under his breath like an old man about household security and the state of the neighborhood. 

“Oh hey Mickey. Thought I heard the door.” Carl’s dazed voice piped up from the sofa and was accompanied by smoke rings from something a little stronger than a cigarette. 

“Yo. Ian around?”

Carl waved to the stairs. “Shower I think.”

Mickey darted up the stairs two at a time and tried to remember where the bathroom was in this house. I heard Ian’s familiar, off-key singing that he always did when he was in the shower or cooking dinner. It was usually Katy Perry or some other poppy shit that ended up being murdered but today it was a song that they’d heard on the radio a few hours earlier - before the sexy time bloodbath happened. Love Is A Battlefield. They’d turned it up until the speakers thumped and sang it at the top of their lungs as they drove in the direction of home. A tear sprung to Mickey’s eye, completely spontaneously, at the sound of Ian warbling the lyrics. He opened the door to the bathroom and stepped in. Ian’s singing cut off and his voice came out in an exasperated growl. 

“Carl, for fucks sake, I’m in the shower!”

Mickey sucked in a deep breath and closed the door behind him, locking it like Ian should’ve done in the first place if he didn’t want to be disturbed. “It’s me.”

The curtain was shoved back and Mickey was faced with a very wet ginger. His very wet ginger. 

“Hey! Forget something?”

Mickey smiled anxiously. “I was kinda hoping I could help you pack.”

“What do you mean?” Ian started to shiver slightly in the cool air. 

“I talked to Yev about it and he agrees with me. We want you to come home. Properly. Pack up all your shit and bring it home.”

Ian’s mouth fell open. “Are you serious?”

Mickey spread his arms. “I look like I’m joking?”

Ian leapt over the side of the tub and launched himself at Mickey, who tried to grab him but he was too slippery. Ian held him tightly and breathed him in. 

“I’d love to.”

Mickey shoved at Ian’s chest to get him to back up and let some air into his lungs. “Good. Finish your shower. I need you to redress my eye.”

Ian’s bed was significantly too small for the two men to sleep in. It was definitely too small for the same two men to fuck in. Yet, they managed to do both. When they woke up the following morning - aching from a mix of hard banging and sleeping like they’d been folded up and stacked on top of each other - Ian’s bags were waiting ominously by the door. 

“You sure about this?” Ian murmured, his hands roaming over Mickey’s bare chest.

“Course I am. I lived with Terry Milkovich for 18 years. What’s the worst you can bring?” Mickey tried to joke but it was flat.

“Bipolar disorder.” Ian responded quietly.

Mickey turned to look up at his anxious redhead. He pulled him down into a kiss that both regretted immediately when their morning breath became apparent. “You don’t scare me with your fancy medical words, Gallagher. Now go make me some breakfast before I gotta pick up the little hellion.”

“Een!” Yev disregarded Mickey entirely and bounced over to Ian, who swept him up and covered him in kisses.

“I missed you so much!” Ian blew raspberries on the kid’s neck until he squealed.

“Mickey, tell this lunatic we are not having any more babies.” Vee glared at Kevin. He had obviously followed through on his threat to beg his wife for a son, as if gender selection was even possible.

“But you make cute babies.” Mickey tugged on Gemma’s (he learned the difference a while back) pigtail.

“And I pushed two out at the same damn time. My baby shop is shut. You’re gonna have to let him borrow Yev when he gets the itch to be a boy-dad.”

Mickey scoffed a laugh and nodded to Amy, who was using a GI Joe figure to make dinner for Barbie in the toy kitchen. “Sure. But you’re raising the biggest tomboy in the Southside since Mandy Milkovich was around. I think he’s gonna be fine.”

“Een. Now. Een!”

Ian repeated his loud smacking kisses and made Yev giggle. “Come on Sunshine. Time to go home. I need to have sleepy snuggles before I have to go to work!”

“Irk?” Yev queried, pulling on Ian’s nose.

“Yep. You’ll find out about it one day. Spoiler alert: it sucks ass.” Ian grinned.

“Sass.” Yev nodded like he completely understood.

Mickey was too busy gazing like a dork at his boyfriend to notice the knowing smiles being shared between Kevin and Vee. He thanked them for looking after the kid and gathered up the multitude of shit that comes with carrying a toddler around.

“Thanks again.” He waved as they left.

“Anytime.” Kevin replied. “For real.”

Ian got home from his shift at Orion and let himself into the house quietly. Usually, when he had the late shift and didn’t get done until around 11 he would just go back to his childhood home and avoid disturbing anyone. But Mickey was in bed listening for Ian coming back, excitement bubbling in his chest that he was using his own key to his new home. He listened as Ian locked up, headed to the bathroom and cleaned up for bed. He listened when Ian popped into Yev’s room, his hushed whispers seeming loud on the baby monitor beside Mickey’s bed.

“Hey there, sunshine. You look so sweet and snuggly. Mmhmm. How did Penny end up on the floor? You two had a row? There we go. She’s back where she belongs. Look after her. My Mommy gave her to me when I was a baby. Probably the only thing she ever gave me. Except maybe meth. Okay. Bedtime. See you in the morning, sunshine. I love you.”

Mickey closed his eyes and grinned until he face felt like it was going to split. Ian’s footsteps crept closer and Mickey opened his eyes, catching the pale washboard abs of his boyfriend in the moonlight from the window as he stripped.

“Yev okay?” Mickey mumbled and Ian jumped a mile.

“Fuck! I thought you were asleep!”

Mickey chuckled. “Nope. Waiting for you.”

Ian climbed into bed beside Mickey and pressed a minty fresh kiss to his lips. “Waiting for me to do anything in particular?”

Mickey reached down under the covers and cupped Ian through his thin boxers. “I have a couple of suggestions. You checked your email today?”

“No. Wasn’t in the mood for the latest updates on how my erectile dysfunction can be solved by one pill a day.”

Mickey laughed heartily. “One pull a day, more like it.”

Ian buried his face in Mickey’s neck when he giggled.

“You should check. I got my test results back from the clinic today.”

Mickey had never seen Ian move so fast as he did when he jumped out of bed and darted out of the room. He returned a second later with his phone in his hand, scrolling through apps until he squinted. Mickey held his breath until a grin lit up the room. Ian turned the screen to Mickey who could see in bold capitals down the list. NEGATIVE. It was a clean sweep. 

“The only test you ever wanna fail.” Mickey smirked. 

“Are you clean?” Ian bit his lip anxiously. 

“Nah. Completely riddled.” Mickey shot back and rolled his eyes. “Course I am. Only skin my bare dick’s touched in a long time is my right hand. Can’t catch much from that.”

Ian wiggled his brows and set his phone aside. “So...”

“So.”

“You wanna?”

Mickey grinned. “Want me to show you my results first?”

Ian shook his head and smiled serenely, dipping his head to kiss Mickey slowly and teasingly. “I trust you.”

Ian’s kiss turned into something more urgent. More passionate. Something felt different this time. When they were both naked, Ian had warmed the lube and sufficiently prepped Mickey they simultaneously stopped for a moment and just gazed at each other. Ian’s lopsided smile broke the tension. 

“This is it, right?”

Mickey squeezed Ian’s forearms and hooked his ankles together around the base of Ian’s spine. “This is it.”

“You and me.” Ian’s voice sounded gentle but certain. 

“Just us.” Mickey nodded. 

“Forever.” Ian pushed inside Mickey in one fluid motion until he bottomed out, each of them gawking at each other as the sensation threatened to overwhelm them. 

“Forever.” Mickey murmured and held Ian’s body tightly. “And a day.” 


	16. Epilogue - What A Difference A Year Makes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yev celebrates his birthday and Mickey celebrates his freedom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That’s all folks!  
> Thank you a million times to everyone who has read this and a million more thank yous for all the comments, kudos and encouragement.  
> You are all fabulous.  
> 💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕  
> Enjoy! (And come say hello on any of the social media platforms I barely know how to use @dodger_bear on Twitter and @dodgerbear84 on tumblr)

“You got the cake?”

“Yes.”

“And the balloons?”

“Yes.”

“What about the...”

“Mickey! I got it. I promise. Go to work.”

Mickey rocked back on his heels and bit his lip. “Okay. Sorry. I just want it to be perfect.”

Ian smiled reassuringly and got to his feet. Mickey welcomed his kiss and leaned into his chest. Yev was charging around the room still in his pyjamas and waving a plastic cutlass above his head. He stopped when he saw them hugging and reached up his arms. 

“My turn.”

Mickey chuckled and released Ian so he could scoop up his son. It never ceased to amaze Mickey how rapidly Yev was developing these days. His vocabulary grew by the minute and he was reciting letters and numbers and colors in his sleep. His baby wasn’t a baby anymore. He was a little boy with his own personality and thoughts and ideas and a very strong opinion on vegetables. (They were to be played with or used as artistic materials, but _never_ eaten.) He was deep in the throes of a pirate obsession with only Penny surviving his penguin phase. She still traveled everywhere with him. Today was Yev’s second birthday and Mickey was doing a shift at the bar while Ian stayed home with the kid. They shared a family hug and Ian took Yev from Mickey’s arms. 

“Okay. Get outta here. Sooner you’re done, the sooner the party starts.” Ian winked. 

Mickey yanked on his boyfriend’s collar to pull him into another kiss. “Love you guys.”

“Love you too.” Ian waved and Yev joined in with great enthusiasm. 

“Love you Dad.” 

Mickey walked to the Gallagher house briskly in the cold December wind. His mind wandered to his mental checklist for Yev’s birthday celebrations and ticked everything off again. Ian had done most of the work on it since Kevin needed him at the bar. Now it was 4 in the afternoon and he was on his way to meet his family for Yev’s party. The Gallagher house wasn’t ideal as a venue but it was big enough for the occasion and already housed most of the people who would be attending. He smoked the last of his cigarette and tossed it before he stepped inside the gate. A knock on glass had him looking up and he grinned when he saw his boyfriend waving from the window. Mickey paused for a second just to take it all in. His boyfriend was an absolute marvel. The back up he gave as a parent was immeasurable. Yev wanted for nothing and he loved Ian like he was his dad. In fact, Mickey presumed Yev thought “Een” was another word for Dad. Their lives blended so perfectly since Ian moved in. Had it always been easy? Fuck no. They were a couple of weeks clear of the first big test Ian’s bipolar condition had brought them. A few weeks earlier, around Halloween, Ian had seemed a little different. His exercise routine changed and he wasn’t sleeping much. It was difficult for Mickey to see what was happening as it was all so innocuous at the time. Yev had a bad night and Ian stayed up with him. But then he did two back to back late shifts at the call center and suddenly it was nearly a week of broken sleep. Yet his energy levels didn’t seem to change. After a few days Ian woke Mickey up in the middle of the night and told him he needed to see his doctor. They went together the next day with Mickey hanging on every word the doctor said. He wanted more than anything to do the right thing for Ian. So he made notes and asked questions that made him blush with fear that he sounded like an idiot but Ian beamed at him so brightly he carried on. 

“I’ve never had anyone do that before.” Ian had said when they went to the pharmacy to pick up his new meds. 

“What?” Mickey was confused. 

“Be in my corner. Just mine. I mean, my family try. They do. But they compare me to Monica every time I mention how I feel. You were just there for me.”

Mickey accepted Ian’s hug and then spent the rest of the day amazed at how easy his boyfriend was to impress. 

The meds kicked in hard and Ian spent the week in bed. Luckily his bosses at Orion were aware and sympathetic. They gave him the time as paid leave, which Ian was grateful for but also cynically aware that it was all part of their PR scheme to be able to shout about that they do for the mentally ill. Every corporation these days wanted to be the best in every diversity category as if winning the awards actually made customers switch to them to supply their energy. So Ian spent the week in bed. Some days he talked. Some days he didn’t. It was a process and one that Mickey hadn’t fully prepared himself to experience. Yev had little clue what was happening but Ian asked every night for the little boy to come for a bedtime story. Ian pissed Mickey off with his incessant apologies about leaving him to cope with everything. 

“Everything being...? What, the kid? I coped before and I can cope now. You just do what you need to do.” Mickey had told him firmly with a kiss to the forehead and no room for argument. 

Ian did get better. Once the fatigue passed and the meds regulated he was tentatively himself again but still not quite right. After a couple of weeks of Ian walking on eggshells Mickey pulled him up on it. 

“We need the clear the air, Gallagher.”

Ian’s haunted look of fear cut into Mickey’s soul and would stay with him forever. 

“Relax. I’m not cutting you loose. Dumbass.” Mickey had smirked. “I just need to know...the way we handled it. Is that normal? Was it okay? Could I have done anything better?”

And in a change to normal service, Ian was the one who burst into tears. If Mickey thought he was King of the Waterworks these days, well Ian really showed him. The tears flowed. Then the snot. Then the sobs came. They turned into a weird burp-hiccup hybrid that had Mickey worried for a second. 

“Mick...” Ian choked out. “You were perfect.”

Mickey pouted at that. He stood in front of Ian for a long moment and raked over the previous weeks in his brain. 

“So why you walking round the place like a cat on a hot tin roof?” He’d asked. 

Ian had smiled shyly. “Just got nervous. Thought maybe you’d see the dark side of me and change your mind about us.”

“The dark side? Okay Darth Vader. There ain’t nothing dark about you. You were sick, you’re feeling better. Would you be saying this if you had flu?”

“Well no...”

“Exactly. So climb outta your head and relax. I love you. I’m keeping you.” Mickey had stated with finality and that was the turning of the tide. The last couple of weeks were spent planning for Yev’s birthday and the holidays. Now Mickey was standing outside the Gallagher house and staring at the window like an idiot. He hadn’t even noticed Ian wasn’t there anymore until his boyfriend’s voice piped up from the porch. 

“Coming in?”

Mickey grinned and dashed up the steps, kissing Ian thoroughly until the redhead giggled. 

“What’s that for?”

Mickey shrugged slightly. “For pulling this off. For everything really.”

“Didn’t do anything. Come in. We’re gonna sing happy birthday and play some games.” Ian pulled his hand. 

Mickey resisted and Ian tilted his head. “What’s up?”

“I got a call from Suzy today. My divorce is final.”

Ian’s face split into a happy grin. “That’s great! Have you told Svetlana?”

“Not yet. I wanted to tell you first.”

“Oh. Cool.” Ian gathered him up and kissed him softly. 

“I was never hers. Not even for a minute. But it’s nice to know it’s over.” Mickey was trying to articulate his feelings and not sound completely lame. 

“I understand.” Ian rubbed his neck. “It’s the last part of your past that needed to be over.”

“It’s more than that. It’s a different kind of freedom. It’s knowing that I get to make my own choices now.”

“Yeah.” Ian smiled. “That’s really nice.”

Mickey rested his forehead to Ian’s, his palm on his chest over his heart and took a breath. “I’m not proposing. Not here, not right now. But knowing that I’m free to choose that one day...it’s amazing. And I will. I know I will.”

Ian smiled happily and brushed their lips together. “And when that day comes, I’ll choose it too. I’ll always choose you.”

They hugged it out and sniffed back tears until Ian took Mickey’s hand. “Let’s go see our boy.”

Mickey nodded and followed him inside, hearing his son giggle with delight at the spectacle of light and music for his special day. All of the Gallagher clan were there. Kevin, Vee and their girls were there. Mandy and Luke were scheduled to FaceTime at 5pm for the blowing out of the cake candles. His whole life was in this room. 

“What are you thinking?” Ian whispered. 

Mickey leaned into him. “What a difference a year makes.”

The End


End file.
